Make you feel my love
by foolishangel87
Summary: There was a battle brewing in the shadows when Allison Stackhouse returned to Bon Temps. But the greater battle is the one for her heart when two vampires step up to win her back. Sequel to The Blackest Night and The Resurrection. 3rd fic in series.
1. Going home

**Chapter 1 Going home**

"It's so peaceful out here." Godric's calm voice floated across the dark night air to me as we stood on the banks of the rolling river and watched the water drift by lazily, moved along by the chilly breeze that had picked up since we had gotten out of the car over an hour ago. He turned towards me and in the light from the full moon, I could see his face clearly. He smiled gently at me and crossed his arms before saying "It's like everything is alright in the world. Like nothing bad has happened and all is calm and good. But it's fleeting, because underneath all the cloud of serenity, I know it's only the..."

"The calm before the storm." I finished for him, stepping closer to where he was and stuck my hands in my coat pockets with a sigh. "That's exactly what it is. By this time tomorrow night, we will be back in Bon Temps and we will have to confess everything. And that's when the shit is really going to hit the fan."

"Then perhaps we should have delayed this return by another week or two." He stated, his pale arms wrapping around his mid-section as he braced his feet against the grassy river bank and stared at the black water. "I find myself not quite ready to face all of this just yet."

I smiled at him and joined in on just looking out at the river as the thoughts of the past few days on the road hit us both and we fell silent for the next couple of minutes as we got lost in them. Ever since we had left Mystic Falls, it seemed like every night was spent like this, standing outside in the night discussing what the reaction was going to be like when we showed our faces for the first time. And it should have been tiring to always talk about it but it wasn't. Each time we got to the point where we had the same conversation, it always felt new like we were having it for the first time. And in some ways, it was a good thing, because we both had so much fear and apprehension about going back that we needed to get it out in some ways. And Godric was so easy to talk to about this since our fears mostly had to do with seeing Eric. It was one thing to talk to my friends or to even Sookie about how scared I was to see him again, but it was another thing entirely to talk to the vampire who had created Eric and who was just as terrified to see him as I was. It lent a closeness to our already close bond that no one would be able to understand even if there were words to describe it. And that made it slightly more easier to travel back home, knowing I had Godric at my side who was a much stronger being then I could ever be and who I could easily confess my fears to. He had quickly my closest confidant and I was beginning to realize that with all that had happened to us over the last couple of months and how bonded we were for our futures, he was really my best friend now and I couldn't have asked for a more suitable candidate. He was loyal, kind and understanding to the point where it was almost like our minds were one. There was nothing I couldn't talk to him about.

"It's ok if you don't feel ready to face this because I don't think I am either." I told him, tilting my head to the side to look at him. "But I also think that no matter how much time we put between the reunion, it's still going to be just as tough. And actually, the more time we delay it, the tougher it is going to be. I know first hand what it is like to know that others knew something about me and didn't tell me for months. That's what hurt the most. So as much as I want to put this off, I know we can't. We did it long enough and now we have to face up to it."

"You are much wiser then you think you are." Godric's face turned to meet mine and I saw there was a slight smile playing across his lips. "You have such an old soul for someone so young."

"I think it's just common sense but thank you." I grinned at the 2000 year old vampire as I moved closer and then sat down on the soft grass with my arms wrapped around my legs and my long hair blowing around my face. But it doesn't matter how logical either of us are, because nothing is going to prepare us for what we have to face."

"I just wish I could foresee what the reaction is going to be. It would make things easier if we knew for sure what to expect." Godric sighed heavily, sounding more down and lost then I had ever heard him sound before. He took a spot next to me and stretched his legs out in front of him and then said "Eric is not going to remain calm when he sees me and that is what I fear the most."

"I'm just so completely terrified about seeing him for the first time in months. I all this time trying not to think of him and ignoring his calls and messages and anything that had his name attached to it. I just carried around so much pain because of his screw up and I never wanted to see his face again. But now I'm returning home to do just that and it scares the crap out of me." I confessed, looking down at my feet as I spoke. I had so many conflicting emotions going off inside of me at once that I was almost dizzy from the pace of it all. "I don't know how I am going to do this. The last time we saw each other it was such a complicated goodbye and I don't know how I am going to feel when I am back in front of him again."

"It's because you still love him." Godric pointed out suddenly, giving voice to the very thing I had been keeping a secret even to myself. But now that it was spoken out loud, it all came flooding back to me and I was beginning to remember the extent of my love for Eric, a love that made been tainted by his mistake. Godric looked at me for a good long while and then said. "And that's ok. You can still love him despite what he did. It was his fault, not yours so don't feel like you have to forget how you felt about him. It's not wrong."

"How can I still love him when he doubted who he wanted at the time?" I asked Godric, frowning because I did not want to be dealing with this new complication. I did not want to remember just how much I had loved Eric because it would just remind me of that morning when I had heard him saw my cousin's name rather then my own and I certainly did not want to remember those first moments of pain. But no matter how much I wanted to just erase my involvement with Eric, I couldn't do that. Eric was in my heart whether I liked it or not. "How can I just pretend like it doesn't still hurt me?"

"No one is saying for you to forget that because there is no way that will happen. But don't carry around this pain forever, find some way to let it go and move on with or without him. That's your choice and your choice alone." Godric said to me with a nod of his head as we both continued looking out at the fast moving water. "But Eric made a mistake and from what I have learned,he regrets it and that's not easy for him to admit to. I know deep down that he is still very much in love with you and would do anything to make it right. And that makes it ok to still love him, because he has learned from his mistake."

"I don't want to talk about my future with Eric since I don't even know if I want a future with him. So let's just forget it for now." I said, closing off the topic of Eric and I for the time being and turned it to Godric. "What are you most afraid of when you see him?"

"His anger." Godric answered right away without hesitation, his face growing tight with concern. "I am most terrified of how angry he will be when the truth comes out. Eric takes things very hard and when he learns that I have been technically alive this whole time, he will become unhinged and that worries me."

"It worries me too." I agreed, already picturing just how violent Eric could possibly become. It reminded me of that one night in the kitchen when I mentioned how I had found out about Godric and their past together and he had thrown me on the floor and bit me. That had been terrifying and it scared me to think he would lash out like that again. "What if he attacks us out of anger?"

"Do not fear about your safety little Fae. I will protect you should the situation turn dangerous." Godric assured me in that calm way of his that made me hopeful that everything would eventually be alright. "I will handle Eric. No harm will come to you."

"Thank you." I told him, moving over to his side and reaching out so I could wrap my arms around his left arm and I leaned my head against his shoulder, grateful to have someone like him in my life. "Thank you for being my friend."

"I should be the one thank you. It's an honor to be considered your friend." Godric replied, and I could feel him turn his head before he pressed his cool lips against my forehead and whispered "It's going to be alright. I promise you that."

"I hope that's true."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"So this is finally it. We are actually done with wedding plans. I never thought we would finish." Sookie told her fiancee with a wide smile as she put down the phone after confirming a final flower delivery and turned her body to face him before sinking back against the couch cushions with a happy sigh. "And we finally get to get married next month. Is that incredible or what?"

"What's incredible is the amount of money we've spent for this ceremony and reception. Now that is hard to believe." Bill said back with a devilish grin as he ducked when she moved to whack him across the head. "Hey watch it, that's going to be spousal abuse once we are husband and wife."

"You're a vampire, you can handle it." Sookie teased, shaking her head playfully at him, feeling more happy then she had in a very long time. "I just can't believe that in 4 weeks, all this fighting for equal rights is going to culminate in our wedding. I can't think of a more perfect way to celebrate it."

"Well, I think the obvious thing to do would be to call Allison right now at her apartment and tell her the good news." Bill pointed out with a carefree smile on his pale face. "She will be so excited to hear this. And now we can finally entice her to come home."

"You are so right. I knew I was marrying you for a good reason." Sookie smirked when Bill's eyes widened in mock offense as she grabbed her phone again and flipped it open. "I can't wait to talk to her, I haven't spoken to her in a while."

"She will be thrilled to hear from you I am sure." Bill nodded, turning to the paper work in front of him while she hit the speed dial for Allie's land line and held the phone to her ear to wait for the pick up. Bill kept on glancing at her with this smile on his lips that reflected the one on Sookie's face and she just couldn't wait to be able to call him her husband. This was a turning point in their lives and Sookie was excited to share the news with her cousin. But when the line stopped ringing, she was shocked by the voice that came on the other line.

_"..I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed has been disconnected and canceled. Please hang up and try your call again..."_

"That's strange." Sookie muttered, pulling the phone away from her ear and pressed the end button before looking at Bill with a frown. "It says the line has been disconnected. What the hell is that about?"

"I have no idea, but maybe she just had it canceled so she only had to deal with one phone bill." Bill suggested, not looking worried and therefore she didn't feel the need to. "Why don't you try her cell phone? She always picks up when you call that number."

"That is true." Sookie nodded, the smile back on her face at this suggestion. Allison did indeed always pick up her cell phone when Sookie called so this is what made her mind go to ease when she looked for Allie's cell phone in her contacts list and hit send. She once again put the phone to her ear and listened for the ringing while reaching for Bill's hand and squeezed it happily. Any second now Allie would pick up and Sookie knew she would be finding herself screaming the good news. Any second now it would happen...

_"This number is no longer available. Please try your call again."_

"Ok that is not right." Sookie frowned even harder then before as she shut the phone and tossed it on the table in front of her. "That number is also canceled. What is going on?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure it is just something minor." Bill said, his hand instantly returning to her hands and he held them in his palms while looking at her intently. "I wouldn't read too much into it."

"But you know me and you know how my mind works. If I can't get a hold of her then I am always going to assume the worse and right now is no different." Sookie retorted with a deep frown as she sat there with her future husband and silently fumed. She didn't want to automatically jump to conclusions but the evidence was there to support that something was out of sorts. Allison was so adamant about picking up her cell phone every time she got a call, especially when it was Sookie calling. So for her cousin to not only not pick up and to have her number canceled, something had to be going on. It just had to be and that was the point she tried to make to Bill. "Something has to be wrong if both numbers are not working."

"I know you are starting to get yourself all worked up which is why I am going to cut you off at the pass." Bill commented, moving across the couch and wrapping his arm around her. "But honestly I wouldn't get all freaked out just yet. It's probably nothing to worry about. She may have just lost her cell phone and was just doing the right thing by canceling the number until she gets a new one. That could be all there is to it."

"I hope that is the case." Sookie grumbled, still not entirely convinced that all was right with her cousin. It made her very nervous to not have a way of getting in touch with her. Especially when it seemed like Allie's mind was more locked up then normal these days so she couldn't even read her thoughts. "I hope it's not something more serious."

"I'm sure it's not. So please don't worry yourself about it. Allison is fine and she will be in touch soon enough."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"I still cannot believe you threw my phone out the window." Allison said to him as they sat inside her car on the side of the road while she ate her late night dinner and he sat there behind the wheel drinking his 3rd bottle of blood. She took a sip of her ice tea and raised her eyebrow at him. "Now I know where Eric gets his anger problems from."

"I apologize for that. I will buy you a new phone when we get back." Godric promised the girl next to him as he watched her giggle at his actions from just an hour ago. "But your phone annoyed me and I got frustrated."

"It's a touch-screen phone Godric, get with the times already." She teased, pushing her hair back out of her face as she continued to laugh at him. "Sometimes you are so old fashioned when it comes to modern day technologies like cellphones."

"Perhaps I am." He agreed, not having all that much interest in these silly little gadgets like humans and some vampires did. But the situation had turned out to be something they both could laugh about and it helped put him at ease when he saw the smile on her face. And he made a point to mention it to her. "You know, it helps to see you smile. It puts me in a more relaxed state so I can prepare myself for the trials that are waiting for me when I reunited with Eric."

"I have to say, being around you has made my stress and anxiety levels go down considerably so I too feel more ready for whatever is awaiting us." Allison told him, throwing her garbage in a plastic bag and started tying it up while she looked at him suddenly and sighed. "But you're still scared. I can feel it in you."

"I was hoping to hide that from you." Godric admitted, pressing his lips together tightly in a firm line. He didn't want the girl to be worrying herself over his feelings of nervousness about going home to see his child. But with their strong blood bond, it just wasn't logical for him to expect that he could keep this hidden from her. So that was why he decided to confide in her. "I still find myself worried about Eric's reaction."

"You still fear the onslaught of his fury when you finally emerge back in his life?" Allison's young face twisted into a saddened expression at his words and she reached over and surprised him when she placed her hand on his. "He's going to be angry but you said yourself that he would get over it eventually."

"I did say that, but I was wondering just how much of that is going to end up being true." Godric found himself frowning down at his lap as he spoke to the very deepest fear he had since being resurrected. He hadn't wanted to dwell on it too much because it was a worry that had been threatening to overtake him for weeks now. But he had to get it out of his system before it forced itself out in another way. "I worry that even when Eric does let go of the anger and hatred that he has for me, that we may never reclaim the former closeness we used to have as maker and child. And we were not like any other vampires with that bond. Our bond was special and I fear that I may lose that forever."

"I honestly don't think you will. Eric and I may not have ever really talked about you all that much, but I know how much he cared for you and how badly he mourned your passing. And even though he will be angry, he will come to accept your place in his life again. I just know it." Allison assure him in that innocent, almost naïve way of viewing the world. Still, he took her words to heart when she spoke again. "Besides, you're still Eric's maker and you have some control over what happens."

"That is true." Godric agreed, knowing there was truth in her statement despite his doubts about the situation. He was Eric's maker and therefore he had the power to insert over his child if he needed to make Eric do something to ensure that there was progress made. "I just don't know what I would do with myself if I lost that closeness."

"You won't lose it. I say that with complete certainty. Eric would be an idiot and a complete asshole if he pushed you out of his life." Allison told him with a carefree grin that seemed to echo the amusement in her tone. "Oh wait, Eric is an idiot and an asshole. My bad."

"And once more, you have quenched my fears with your assurance and humor, like a true friend would. Thank god you have entered my life." Godric said to her, truly grateful that she had been the one to bring him back to life and that he was now connected to by way of blood. He had gotten lucky when she popped up in both Eric's life and her life. She was kind and giving and sweet and would do anything to ensure the happiness of those around her, including him and he had never come across a girl like her in all his years. She was something else alright and she rebuilt his trust in his faith that life would take care of itself in the best possible way. He was grateful for her presence in his life. He smiled at her again and then turned his hand over so their palms were connected before saying "I have a strong feeling you and I will be tightly bonded for the rest of our lives even if we weren't bound by blood. I can't explain it, but it's one of those rare things that I feel certain about."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

_"Eric you have to get a hold of yourself. This way of thinking is not healthy and you know that. You have to see how crazy this all is and sounds."_

_"I'm not crazy. I'm perfectly sane."_

_"I don't think you are crazy, just this situation you have concocted in your head is crazy. I mean, you are claiming to feel something from your bond with Godric. And that's not possible and I know you know that. Godric is dead Eric and I know it hurts you to remember that but he is dead and he is not coming back. He can't come back. So I don't understand why you are doing this to yourself."_

_"I'm not doing anything. I know very well that my maker is dead and that all bonds should have been cut off when he met the sun. But I know what I felt and I felt something from that bond. And nothing you can say is going to make me think otherwise. Something happened to have made that bond suddenly come alive the way it did. And I want to understand why that is."_

_"I get that you are stressed out right now with Allison being gone but thinking that you are feeling Godric's bond grow is not the way to deal with it. And I'm really starting to worry about you."_

_"I told you before that there is nothing to worry about and to drop this. So do as I say."_

_"But Eric..."_

_"Don't make me command you Pam."_

Pam tapped her fingers along the edge of the bar counter inside of Fangtasia as she thought back to her conversation with Eric from the night before and she grew even more concerned as she relived it inside of her head. It wasn't often that she thought about the same thing night after night, but when it came to her maker, she found herself doing just that. Eric's behavior had been troubling to say the least. He was already tough to deal with when it was just about Allison being gone, at least then he was acting like his normal stuck up self. But ever since that night she had seen him in his office when he said he felt something, it had all started spiraling downward. Almost every night he sat up on that stage with his chin in his hand and glared at anyone who came within 2 feet of him. The customers were already scared of him on a normal basis, but now they were completely terrified to the point where no one was coming into the bar. In fact, there was absolutely no one in the bar tonight at all. And that was very bad. Eric's behavior and attitude was scaring away the customers and if they didn't have customers then they didn't have a business, and if they didn't have business then that meant no money coming in for either of them. So now she was sitting there in the empty bar with no stupid humans to scare and she was getting annoyed. It was time to fix things and she knew just the right way to do it.

In a flash she grabbed the phone from behind the counter and dialed a familiar number, waiting for it to be picked up while she scratched a deep line into the shiny wood of the counter that Eric would never even notice. He barely noticed anything these days. But she did notice when the line connected and was picked up by an annoyed female voice. Pam grinned, her mood instantly rising as she said "Well hello Sookie, nice of you to answer my call."

"What do you want Pam?" The blonde telepathic waitress didn't even bother to waste time with a greeting and just immediately wanted to know what she was needed for since it wasn't normal for anyone from Fangtasia to call without a specific reason. "You never call unless you need a favor. So what is it?"

"Oh but Sookie you hurt my feelings. Maybe I just wanted to chat with a hot piece of ass like you." Pam said, knowing it would disgust the girl immensely which is why she had to say it. But then her tone switched and before she allowed Sookie to come up with a response, she spoke again. "You're right, I do need a favor. It's about Eric."

"What has he done now?" Sookie demanded, already sounding like she wanted to say no which didn't surprise Pam at all since the older Stackhouse girl had a huge hatred for her maker.

"He's acting crazy again and I'm getting concerned that he is going to wind up doing something more stupid then usual. He keeps insisting that he's feeling his bond with Godric but we both know that's not possible and its time we put a stop to this insane idea he has come up with." Pam explained, glad that Eric hadn't shown up yet to overhear her saying this to the human. He would be furious and his punishment for her would come swift. But she needed to do this, his sanity was at stake here and she was willing to do whatever it took to make him the bad ass that she had known. "This obsession he has with thinking that bond is alive again is just not healthy."

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Sookie asked, sounding like she was pacing across a wooden floor as her steps came clear through the phone. "How am I supposed to help Eric?"

"Call Allison and get her to come home." Pam bluntly said, knowing that it was the one shot she had at getting Eric back to his old self. "I don't care what you have to do or say to get that girl back to Bon Temps but do it. She's the only one that can restore Eric's sanity."

"That's going to be a bit of a problem."

"Why is that?" Pam immediately went on the defensive at the idea that her solution may not even be able to be put into action.

"Well you see, I was with Bill when I actually tried to call her but as it turns out, both of her numbers have been disconnected so I can't get in touch with her." Sookie explained, her news stumping Pam and bringing that idea to a screeching halt. "Bill says its nothing to worry about and it is probably something minor like she lost her phone."

"What about entering her mind and reading her thoughts?" Pam suggested, just as the idea flash into her head. "Maybe that's how you can talk to her."

"I already tried doing that and it failed. It's like she is blocking her mind from me more intensely then she ever has before."

"Well that just fucks up the whole evening." Pam hissed, not at all accustomed to being at a loss of what to do next. She always had something up her sleeve when other plans failed. She liked having backup but in this case there was no back up and she was furious at that. "This is just perfect. Allison was the one person who could have gotten Eric out of his head. And no one can contact her. Just perfect. I don't know what to do now."

"You really are worried about Eric aren't you?" Sookie's voice had taken on a more soft tone that suggested she was warming up to the possibility of taking a different approach to the problem. "Do you really think it is that bad?"

"Yes or else I wouldn't have called begging you for help." Pam muttered, her manicured hand gripping her dark blonde hair tightly. " I need to do something about him. It's been going on for weeks and it needs to stop or else something bad is going to happen."

"Look, I don't really like putting myself in that place any more then I have to but what if Bill and I came by Fangtasia in like an hour and see if maybe we can get through to Eric?" Sookie suggested and in the background Pam could make out Bill's voice protesting the idea but Sookie chose to ignore him. "I don't like Eric for obvious reason, but I know he still means a lot to Allison and she wouldn't want him to be in any kind of pain. So we'll come by as soon as we can."

"It's the only other option we have. So get here right now."

* * *

><p><em><span>60 minutes later<span>_

"Wow, I can't believe I am actually back in Bon Temps." I mumbled mostly to myself as Godric drove down the roads I told him to and looked around at the scenery that was unchanged since I had left over 4 months ago. I don't know what I expected to see when I finally returned but I thought it would feel or look different then when I was here last. But it wasn't. Nothing had changed in the slightest in all this time. And in fact I felt like I had only been gone for a few days rather then a few months. I felt right back at home on these dirt roads as we passed by the familiar houses I used to walk by with Sookie on our days off. The roads were the same as were the houses and building we drove by, nothing out of place and nothing updated. We even passed by the graveled path that lead up to Merlotte's but I tried not to think about that too much since I still felt the sting from Sam's mean spirited goodbye. I instead managed to push away the lump that had risen up in my throat and directed him to the house that Sookie and I lived in. As he drove I fell silent, knowing that it would only be another few minutes until I was officially home and that was freaking me out. I could feel my blood rushing through every vein and artery in my body and my heart pounding so hard in my chest that Godric had to place his hand on my wrist to calm me down so I could practice breathing normally. I wasn't prepared for this. This was such a bad idea. Any second I would be showing up at my house and seeing my cousin for the first time in months and I just didn't know how to explain why I had come home suddenly.

"It doesn't appear that she's home." Godric said, breaking me out of my thoughts with his voice and the sound of the car turning onto the graveled driveway in front of our house. I had been silently freaking out so much that I hadn't even realized how quickly he had followed my directions and got us here. But now he had pulled my car to a stop on the side of the house and turned the engine off, putting us into silence as I stared out the window at my old home and saw that he was right. Sookie was indeed not home.

"The lights are all off and her car isn't here." I mumbled, reaching for the door handle and letting myself out into the much warmer air of Bon Temps but where it was still cold enough to the point where I didn't shed my coat. I looked up at the two story house and looked for any sign that I might have missed but there was none. It wasn't like Sookie parked her car any where else on the property. She was a creature of habit and always parked her yellow car on the side of the house where mine currently was. So if it wasn't in that spot then she definitely wasn't here. I looked over at Godric who had also gotten out of the car and was currently disconnecting the trailer from the back of my car with ease. I wrapped my arms around myself and went over to him. "She's not here."

"Perhaps she is working." Godric suggested as he easily ripped off the connecting chains and dropped the bar attached to the trailer on the ground so my car was now free from it. "Should we go by Merlotte's?"

"It's a Wednesday night and she never works on this night unless something changed in her schedule and that almost never happens." I said thoughtfully, tapping my fingers to me chin. "Where else would she be?"

"She might be with Mr. Compton at his residence. Didn't you say they were engaged to be married? She is most likely there." Godric stated, his hands going to his pockets as he looked around at the property with a curious eyes. " We could check his house next."

"That seems to be the most logical option." I agreed, turning back to the car and taking Godric place behind the wheel while he hopped into the passenger seat. "Alright, let's just hope that they are there when we arrive."

"I'm sure they will be aware of visitors, or at least Bill will, by how hard your heart is pounding." Godric pointed out with a grin as I pulled out of the driveway with a squeal of my tires. "Any vampire in a 10 mile radius will hear that racket. You need to calm down. It's going to be ok."

"You know, it wasn't all that long ago when I was the one assuring you of that." I reminded him, driving down the darkened road at the fastest legal speed I could crank out. I suppose we could have just gone across the field and through the cemetery. But if Sookie and Bill weren't at the house then I didn't want to waste any time having to go back for my car. If I wasted time, then I may never be able to have the strength to go through with the events of tonight. I didn't want to face them, but I also didn't want to hide from it any more. "But I guess we will find out when we get there."

"Look at it this way..." Godric began to say, turning his face to look at me in the dark interior of my car. "At least we are trying to make progress. That has to count for something. Right?"

"That remains to be seen."

* * *

><p><em><span>At Fangtasia<span>_

"You know, in all the times we ever came here, it has never looked quite like this." Sookie found herself saying to Bill as he pulled her car to a stop along side the fence in the Fangtasia parking lot and turned off the engine as he too took in the empty space around them. Sookie frowned, feeling something odd hanging in the air as she and her fiancee stepped out and slammed the doors behind them. "There's no cars besides mine here. There's no loud music that we can normally hear through the walls. And there's no line of fang bangers standing outside the door. What's that about?"

"Perhaps Pam wasn't exaggerating when she said Eric's behavior was off these last few weeks. So maybe that drove away business." Bill replied, placing his hand on the inside of her elbow and started leading her to the door. "Maybe Eric really does need us to pull him out of this funk."

"I wish I had said no. I don't really have a desire to help Eric." Sookie grumbled, honestly wishing she could go back on her promise to Pam to snap Eric out of his own head but she couldn't. "But I know Allie would be upset if I didn't attempt to put that aside. She still cares for him."

"You sure about that?" Bill wondered, his hand leaving hers to pull open the front door for her. "The last time Allie and Eric were in the same room together, she was very upset and angry. I don't think she would hold it against you if you didn't want to help him."

"You obviously have no idea how a woman's mind work do you Bill?" She asked, shaking her head at his lack of understanding and stepped through the doorway and out onto the floor of the bar. She immediately spotted Pam pacing on the other side of the room, so caught up in her head that she never noticed their arrival or their movements across the floor and around the empty tables. Sookie had almost reached her when Pam looked up and finally spotted them, relief flooding her pale face as Sookie stood before her. "Hey, we're here."

"It took you long enough." She muttered, her eyes very obviously moved up and down the length of her body in a very amused way but still made Sookie feel incredibly uneasy. "I thought you two would never get here."

"I said we would come as soon as we could. Our lives are not going to stop just because you need help with Eric." Sookie replied, feeling safer when she stepped closer to Bill's side and stared back at Pam. "So be grateful that we came at all."

"I will hold that off until some actual progress is made. And then we'll talk." Pam rolled her eyes so fast that it didn't even look like there was color in them, it was creepy.

"Why is this place so deserted?" Bill questioned, motioning with his hand around the room that was completely void of any one, vampire or human. It was just them three and it had never been like that ever before. And that was exactly what Bill pointed out. "I can't remember a night when it has had less then 40 people and a full line waiting outside. Not only is there no one here, but there is no car to be seen anywhere near here. Why is that?"

"Have you not been paying attention to what I have been telling you about Eric's behavior for the past 3 weeks?" Pam snapped, her eyes turning to slits as she glared at them. "Eric has been scaring everyone off with his charming attitude as of late."

"Even more so then usual?" Sookie couldn't help but push and she ended up with Pam almost in her face because of it.

"Do not push me tonight. I am not in the mood to deal with your backtalk." Pam hissed, her fangs shooting out in flash of white and Sookie grabbed onto Bill instinctively when she saw this sight. Pam seemed pleased and stepped back to a more comfortable distance but her fangs remained out. "And yes, Eric is more tough to be around then usual. And the customers are picking up on it, hence why no one has come in. Something has to be done."

"I don't know what you expect me to do." Sookie sighed, rubbing her hand across her face as she and Pam locked eyes. "If Eric won't listen to you, then what makes you think he will listen to me?"

"I don't know, but you have to try. Maybe hearing that this is all crazy from someone else will change things. Maybe it will get through to him." Pam shrugged before nodding behind her to a door in the wall behind the bar. "He arrived 20 minutes ago. He's hiding out in his office."

"I guess that is our cue to go start talking sense into him..."

* * *

><p><em><span>At Bill's house<span>_

"What the fuck? He's not here and neither is she. Damn you!" Allison said from her spot up on the front porch as she stood there with her hands on her hips and stomped her feet on the weathered wooden planks while he just leaned against the car and grinned.

They had arrived at Bill's house 10 minutes ago and even though Sookie's car was no where to be seen, Allison still insisted on checking out the whole property. She found the spare key and let herself into the house while he waited outside, not feeling like it was proper for him to go inside another vampire's house without permission even though Allie said it was ok. He could hear her footsteps even from out here as she ran from room to room on the first floor looking for whatever it was that she was hoping to find. And then she raced up the stairs and ran around some more before she came back outside after locking the door, only to tell him there was no sign of them anywhere.

"This is bullshit I tell you." Allison shouted, stomping down the steps with her hands tucked under her arms as she came across the grass and stood in front of him. "Is the universe getting pleasure from watching me run around like an idiot?"

"I don't know about the universe, but I am certainly being amused by this." Godric teased, a laugh escaping his lips as her face filled up with annoyance.

"Not funny Godric, not funny at all." She hit him in the shoulder with the heel of her hand before turning around and leaning her back against the car like him. "But seriously, this has to be one cosmic joke. We finally decide to come back and tell the truth to the people closest to us and when we finally get to town, no one is around. What the heck?"

"It does seem like fate is intervening and preventing us from spilling the truth." Godric agreed, managing to keep a serious look on his face despite the urge to laugh. "But we will find out where they are and take it from there."

"I mean I know I am freaking out about seeing everyone, but frankly this is just pissing me off." She told him, her smalls hands reaching up to grab her hair. "I just want to get this all out of my head and we can't find anyone to tell it too."

"You need to just relax or we will never be able to go through with this. So just breathe already and calm the hell down." He urged her, his words seeming to get through to her as she nodded and dropped her arms down to her side while forcing out long, steady breaths. Godric smiled. "Ok, now that you are somewhat less frantic, lets put our heads together and think. Where else would be they be?"

"Well, if her car is gone and I know she isn't at work, then she is most likely with Bill. And if they aren't here together, then they are out somewhere. But where?" Allison asked more to herself then to him but he still paid attention in case she was asking him. She hadn't stopped talking for more then two seconds before her face lit up and she said. "I know where they are."

"Where?" Godric stood up straight, having a feeling that this was the lead they needed after seeing the look on her face.

"Shreveport." She answered simply, her lips pressing together as her hands came back up to her hair and began tugging on the long strands. "They must be at Fangtasia with Eric and Pam."

"You think?" Godric felt stupid for asking because he knew that had to be it. There was no other answer.

"Yes, they have to be. It's the only other place I can think of. So let's go." Allison said to him as she rushed back around the front of the car to jump behind the wheel at the same time he got him. They were off within a few seconds and Godric knew that they were on their way to finally facing their pasts head on.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at Fangtasia<span>_

"Um Eric, can we talk?" Sookie asked hesitantly as Pam lead her and Bill into the office where the viking was hiding out by his desk and sat down on the chairs in front of him while Pam stood by the door with arms crossed waiting for them to get started.

"If you feel the need, then go right on ahead." Eric replied like the smart ass that he was, only he didn't look nearly as arrogant as he sounded. And Sookie could see what Pam meant when she said Eric was driving away business. Part of Eric's appeal was that when he was out on that stage he was sitting there scanning the crowd looking tough and smug and completely above everyone in the room. But the vampire sitting in front of her was hunched over, weak looking and looked like he could care less about being the center of attention. That wasn't what people were used to seeing and it must have thrown them for a loop. Especially at the sight of the blood trickling down from Eric's ears and nose.

"Have you rested at all in the past couple of days?" Sookie asked, glancing at Pam who shook her head in answer for her master. She turned to look at Eric who was just sitting there with his chin in his hand and a glazed over look in his eyes. "Eric you need to rest. This isn't healthy."

"I have no time for rest." He said, his voice not sounding like his own and to be honest, it made her nervous. It just wasn't like Eric to be this sulking, weak mess. "I have things to figure out. Meanings to learn."

"Yea, um Pam mentioned that to me earlier." Sookie pointed out, looking at Bill who nodded at her to continue as he and Eric never got along enough to have a serious conversation. "I just have to know why you are torturing yourself like this."

"It's not torture when I know for certain that something is going on." Eric responded, turning his blue eyes on her with a glare. "I'm not crazy."

"I never said you were." Sookie quickly said, knowing that any moment the situation could take a turn for the worse and Eric could snap just like that. And no one wanted to be on his bad side. It was the most dangerous place to be.

"I know that look. And it's the same one Pam has been using on me for weeks. So don't think I don't notice it." Eric hissed, life returning to his eyes and he actually sat up when he talked, almost making himself look like his old self. "So just say it."

"Alright fine. This whole idea you have cooked up in your head about feeling your bond with Godric is insane." Sookie shot back, raising her eyebrows at him without a second thought. "Even you have to admit that this isn't all that possible. It's not right."

"I'm not wrong. I know what I felt and I am not wrong." Eric insisted, pushing back from the desk with his feet and gripped the arms of his chair. "If it's not possible then explain why I felt it from the bond in the first place."

"Honestly, I think you just imagined it because you are angry that Allison hasn't come home yet and this is your way of getting it out of your system. By putting it all into this new obsession." Sookie told him, looking at Pam again who was staring at Eric with sadness in her eyes, a look that had never been present on her face except for one time. She was worried about Eric and Sookie could see that and that was why she had to be brutally blunt with Eric in the hopes that it would get through to him. "Eric, you need to understand that you are not feeling Godric's bond. Godric is dead. I saw him meet the sun, remember? So it's not possible that you are feeling his bond. I wish you could but its not a possibility. And it never can be. He's dead and he's not coming back. The sooner you accept that the better."

"Believe what you want, but I know I am right and I will prove it to all of you." The viking's eyes were filled with a look of determined to figure out the answer to something that Sookie, Bill and Pam knew did not exist. Godric was gone and there was no way that Eric could be feeling a flicker of that dead bond. He was making something out of nothing and it was beginning to make him look unhinged and that was more dangerous then when he was himself. But it didn't stop him from trying to make his point. "Something is going on. I just know it is and I will figure it out. And then you won't be the ones calling me crazy."

"Oh I think we still will be." Pam groaned over by the door as they had to sit there and listen as Eric's words turned to madness.

* * *

><p><em><span>Outside<span>_

"That's Sookie's car." I said to Godric as I pulled into the empty parking lot of Fangtasia with my blood rushing inside of my ears as my eyes landed on the vehicle we had been seeking out all evening. She was here just like we had suspected and Bill couldn't be far behind. They were in the same building together with Pam and Eric, all the people we needed to talk to in one spot and that made me incredibly nervous. I managed to put the car in park and yank the keys out of the ignition before proceeding to drop them on the floor at my feet without making any move to retrieve them. Godric was the one who leaned over and scooped up the keys, setting them in the cup holder in the middle of the seats while I sat here with my hands in my lap and my entire body shaking with frantic nerves. "Oh god, this is really it. This is really going to happen. I'm going to walk in there and see everyone for the first time in months. Oh dear god, I can't handle this."

"It will be fine, you just need to remind yourself of that." Godric told me, his hand instantly going to mine and squeezing it tightly to comfort me. "You know what to expect. You know there will be shock and anger and hurt feelings. We have discussed this and you know what is likely to happen. So just keep that mind and you will be ok."

"I'm just so scared even knowing what is going to happen. It's still terrifying." I whispered, gripping his cold hand tightly as my other hand grabbed at my long hair. I never thought I would be as nervous as I was right now despite the strong mask I had been keeping up from time to time. It was one thing to pretend that everything was going to be ok when we were out of state and on the road. But now we were sitting in my car right outside of Fangtasia, knowing that my cousin and Bill were inside with Eric and Pam. That knowledge brought on a whole new set of flurries inside my stomach. I turned to Godric and asked desperately. "Do you think I can do this?"

"I have no doubt about this." Godric said with confidence in his voice that I wished I could steal some of for myself. "I have told you time and time again that you are much stronger then you give yourself credit for and you need to hold on to that. You have so much power in you and I have seen it for myself."

"Just because I am a full blooded Faerie doesn't mean I am some all powerful being that never gets scared of things like this." I told him, motioning to the building in front of us. "I can over power vampires and bring dead vampires back to life so I know I have a power in me. But the idea of facing my cousin and Bill and Eric and Pam terrifies me to the point where I feel like I am just some normal human."

"You're not the only one who is scared here." Godric reminded me, his hand leaving mine to run through his short brown hair. "I have more at stake when I reveal myself to them. Especially when everyone is under the assumption that I am dead. This will be more of a shock to them then when they see you."

"It will just be a night of shockers then." I sighed, sitting back in my seat with my arms crossed as I stared through the windshield at the building. "I wonder if they know we are here."

"If they saw your car on the security monitors then I think they would have been out here by now." Godric said, also staring at the bar's front door and it made me wonder how long it had been since he had stepped foot in there. His face showed that he was calm, but obviously with a blood bond as strong as ours, I could feel his nerves beginning to take hold. He turned to me with a tight lipped smile. "I will go with you if you need me to."

"You have no idea how much I would love to say yes to that because it would be great to have someone to lean on. But I can't let you do that." I reluctantly replied, wishing more then anything that I could just let him go in with me. But the logical side of me knew that the two of us popping up at the same time would just make the situation more volatile. And I told him this. "It just may make things worse if you show up at my side the first time they see me in months. I mean, its one thing to spring one surprise on them but to shock them with an even bigger surprise would just not be good. So I will go in alone and try and prepare the others for you. And hopefully that way, they will be more receptive."

"We don't have to do this right now." Godric said suddenly, his bond with me flaring up with an idea. "We can put it off for a while longer. We can take more time and ease into it another way."

"That is so tempting but if I don't do it now, then any time away may make me not do it at all." I sighed, releasing my hands from where they had been gripping my knees and stretched out my fingers. "I can't put this off any more. I did it for too long and it's time to put myself back where I belong. No more hiding No more keeping this a secret."

* * *

><p><em><span>Inside the bar<span>_

"Oh boy, I knew he wasn't going to let this go." Sookie muttered nervously to Bill as they followed Pam and Eric out of the office onto the main floor of the bar where Eric stomped over to the counter and began pulling out bottle of true blood and started chugging them down as if he were a human male drinking a beer. When he was done with one, he went for the next without stopping until all of them were empty and lying on the counter on their sides. "Eric can you take a chill pill and just calm down."

"And why should I do that?" He asked, turning his eyes on her in such a way that Bill felt the need to step in front of her out of protectiveness. Eric paid no attention and just went on talking. "None of you seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation."

"Eric, the only situation here is the one of you seeming to have lost all sense of your sanity." Pam snapped, speaking up from her spot against the wall where she had settled. "You need to get yourself together."

"She's right, as much as that hurts me to admit." Sookie agreed, ignoring Pam's triumphant smile. "You can't keep clinging to this idea that you are feeling Godric. You know that isn't real."

"Don't tell me what is real and what isn't." Eric demanded, slamming his fist on the counter. "I know what happened and it doesn't matter what any of you say. There is a reason why I felt a flicker from my bond with Godric and instead of giving me a hard time about it, you should be worrying about what it means. Call Allison and tell her, she would think this was something to..."

"We can't do that Eric." Pam said, looking between Sookie and Bill and then over to Eric. "Both of her numbers have been disconnected. No one can get in touch with her."

"And you didn't think this was something I should know about?" Eric questioned, his voice going dark as his hands gripped the counter so hard that it began to splinter. He then turned his focus on Sookie and said. "Get into her mind and talk to her. I want Allison back here as soon as possible."

"I tried that already, I really did but I couldn't forge a connection." Sookie explained, remembering all the times she had tried to enter her cousin's mind and it had failed time and time again. She didn't want to tell this to Eric but she had no choice when he was the one who brought it up in the first place. "She's blocking me from reading her thoughts."

"So no one can get in touch with her?" Eric demanded, coming from behind the bar and before anyone could even blink, he rushed over to a nearby table and promptly picked it up and threw it across the room where it hit the wall and shattered until it was nothing but a pile of woods. And then he grabbed the chair and tossed it in the same direction. "You all are useless. What if something happened to her?"

"She may have just lost her phone Eric. I doubt this is anything to worry about." Bill tried to say but Eric sent him such an evil look that he immediately clammed up. No one else said anything while Eric continued to scream and shout about the situation from start to finish about their disbelief that he felt his bond with Godric all the way to them not having a way to speak with Allison. Their worries had come true and Eric was slipping off of the edge and losing the remaining parts of his sanity. And as he went to throw another chair across the room, Sookie worried that this was it and no one could bring him back now.

But that theory ended when their attention was captured by the front door of the bar opening and a pair of footsteps walking across the floor and stopping in their tracks on the opposite side of the room. All four of them shoot their heads to the side to lay their eyes on the one girl they had just been yelling about. The girl no one had been able to contact and who hadn't been seen in months. And there she stood with her arms wrapped around herself and a nervous smile on her face before opening her mouth and saying.

"Guess who returned home."

**A/n: and there you have it...the first chapter of the 3rd fic...hope it was as good as you all were expecting...and now you will push that review button and freak out...cant wait to write the next chapter**


	2. The Return

**Chapter 2 The Return**

"Oh my dear god."

"Oh shit."

"Hmm, she looks yummy."

I chose to not say anything to Pam's comment as I stood there just inside the room where all four of their faces were zeroed in on me just like I knew they would be when I finally made my return. In fact not only did I not respond to Pam's disgusting statement, but I didn't respond at all. I just stood there like an idiot staring at them the same way they were staring at me in complete and utter shock like none of us could believe what we were seeing. And just like I felt when I drove through the streets of Bon Temps, I was almost expecting them to look different but not one of them had changed. Sookie was looking the same as always did, sweet and innocent with her simple clothes and long blonde hair. Bill was at her side, standing there with one arm around her waist as he always had done, his protectiveness had not waned in the time I had been away. Pam was just as loud and brass as ever and her vibrant clothing had not darkened even in the slightest, and she was the only one looking at me now without a blank expression on her face. Instead, her painted pink lips curled up into a smirk as her eyes looked me up and down even more intently then she had when I had been here last. But it was the tallest vampire that my eyes lingered on the most. Eric stood at the back of the crowd with his arms hanging down at his side and his large hands curled into fists as a result of the anger I had just walked in on. He was dressed in his usual get up of black clothing and he looked just as desirable as he ever had. And despite all the mixed things I was feeling at the moment, even I could still recognize the chemistry and spark that was still between us. And for just a moment, I wanted to walk across that floor and wrap my arms around him and hug him as if we were the only two people in this bar. But then my memories of the morning he had broken my heart came flooding back to me and replaced the desire with a heavy sense of sadness mixed in with an overwhelming anger. I hadn't forgotten what he had done to me despite my momentary distraction by my feelings for him. I would never forget that just like I would never forget the way I felt the urge to run away as I stood there in front of them.

"Oh my god." Sookie was the first out of all of us to make the first move and she managed to leave Bill's side and make her way over to me. And once she was in reaching distance, her hands shot out and grabbed me up in hug before I could even blink. Her arms locked around my tightly, holding me so strongly it was as if she were making sure I was real and not some hallucination. "Oh my god, I can't believe you are actually here. I can't believe I'm seeing you for the first time in over 4 months."

"Yea, I can't believe it either." I replied back, raising my arms and hugging her just as much as she was hugging me. I felt a smile spread across my lips and for a minute I forgot I was even in the vampire bar and was just focused on the fact that I was back with my cousin and I was flooded by the emotion of just how much I had missed her while I was away. But when my eyes opened, my attention landed back on Eric's face and all traces of happiness left my body and I was hit with a crippling feeling of nervousness. His eyes bore down into mine and for once I just couldn't read what his expression was. It was a mixture of so many things that it was almost blank because his features couldn't accommodate what he was feeling, and that was bad. So bad that my heart immediately jumped from a normal heartbeat up to a frenzied pace that did not go un-noticed by the three vampires in the room. Each of their faces instantly lit up with a hunger that I knew none would follow through on but it still made me uneasy even when Sookie pulled away from me.

"Allison Stackhouse, what the hell are you doing here?" Sookie demanded as soon as we had let go of each other and were able to set out eyes on each others faces and take a better look at one another. "Answer me right now."

"I didn't realize I needed permission to come back." I replied smartly, not thinking when I spoke but I was so nervous that I almost couldn't control what came out of my mouth and I needed to watch that. I couldn't just blurt out anything, that would most certainly ruin what I came here to tell them. "Sorry for the surprise but I thought you would be happy to see me."

"We are happy to see you, especially considering we were just talking about you." Bill spoke up, being the first of the vamps to acknowledge me directly. "But we had no idea you were even thinking about coming back, let alone showing up here with no notice."

"And what the hell is up with your numbers being disconnected?" Sookie snapped, gaining my attention when she grabbed my arm tightly. "I tried to call you at your apartment and on your cell but they were both cancel. Do you know how god damn worried we have been?"

"I'm sorry for scaring you, but I have a reason why my land line was canceled and I promise I will explain everything." I assured her, biting down on my bottom as the moment had come to start explaining everything and it was a lot to explain. I started sliding my jacket off of my arms and tossed it on the back of a chair as I quickly sat down at a table where I was joined by Sookie while Bill stood by Pam and Eric in case he needed to head one of them off. I ran my hands through my hair, my movement causing Eric to stir but he still said nothing to me and that was probably a good thing. I didn't need to hear his entrancing voice when I was trying to make a point. "To start with the obvious, the reason you couldn't get a hold of me at home was because I had that line canceled and as for my cell phone, I had to have the number canceled too because the phone got thrown out the window."

"By who?" Sookie asked, her eyes looking into mine curiously as she glanced back at the vampires before turning to me again and asking. "And why were you blocking me out of your head so strongly? What if something happened and we needed to talk to you?"

"I promise you that I will explain it all. All of it but there is something that needs to be put out on the table before I go on." I said, looking them all in the face before I spoke again. "Me showing up here isn't just some random visit. I'm home for good."

"You're moving back?" Sookie's reaction was just as how I expected it to be. Her eyes and face lit up with so much happiness that I forgot that I had a lot of other things to tell them. At least until she spoke again. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you just show up with no warning?"

"Well, um there is a good reason for that. Something happened while I was away in Mystic falls and I had to take care of it. And by the time it was done and over with, I had already made the decision to come home." I explained, my heart pounding as I thought of the vampire sitting out in my car as I prepared to start telling them about this who adventure we had been on. "And I didn't tell you because I didn't want to come home knowing the focus was going to be on me. I just wanted to show up so I could be the one to explain everything without giving you all time to come up with things to ask me."

"Something happened when you were away?" Bill asked, his face growing concerned at my statements which I appreciated because it was nice to know someone was looking out for me even though I had been gone. "Were you attacked? Were you hurt?'

"No no, nothing like that. I'm perfectly fine." I waved my hand in the air, obviously I was ok since I had walked in here on my own two feet with no sign of any damage. "No, I just had something to do and that kind of needed my full attention and that was why I wasn't too worried about letting you guys know I was coming home."

"Does it have something to do with Damon?" Sookie asked softly, her question intended only for me to answer but we were surrounded by three vampires who could hear everything. And they had no problem asking about it. Or better yet, one vampire had no problem saying something.

"Who the fuck is Damon?" Eric spoke up for the first time since my arrival and one look at his face clearly showed that he had no idea who Damon was or what impact that he had on my life while I was away. But it was enough just to hear the name of another man for him to look like he was going to pounce on someone and rip their heads off. And for just a split second, I loved that he was jealous. It almost reinforced what Sookie had told me about him knowing that he had made a mistake that morning. But even though I felt that temporary moment of clarity, it didn't erase my pain over the situation, it would take a long time for that to heal. And right now there wasn't time to think about that. Right now it was about getting out the truth but Eric seemed determined to keep the conversation right where it was. "I want to know who this Damon guy is and I want to know right now."

"Oh this is going to make things so much more interesting." Pam smirked in amusement as she pushed herself up on the bar counter and crossed her legs as they all leaned forward to listen to me as I spoke.

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"..and that's what my life was like in Mystic Falls and my involvement with the Salvatore brothers." Allison finished talking, sitting back in her seat with her hands clasped on the table in front of her while the four of them stared at each other over what she had told them.

When Allison had started talking, Sookie knew she was just relaying old details that they had already talked about in their phone calls and emails over the last few months but she still paid attention in case she heard something that Allie hadn't mentioned. Her cousin talked about her first few days there in the new town and her job and the apartment and the people she met. But the majority of the last half hour was spent talking about the vampires and the human she had spent the most time with when she was there. She told them about her first night when she had met the Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon and how they had instantly known she wasn't human. But before Sookie couldn't even ask if there had been trouble over that, Allison answered and explained how they had sought out the answer to her identity and eventually Allison herself had told them all about her past, including the trouble with the Fellowship and even Eric. She talked about her close friendship with the human Elena Gilbert and her boyfriend Stefan. But Allison then proceeded to explain that while she was there, she had gotten close to the young vampire Damon, just as Sookie had known about but even she was surprised by how animated Allison got when she talked about him and it was obvious to them all that Allison and Damon had been involved passed the point of friendship. But Allie concluded it with how Damon had been unwilling to express his feelings and she had given up and decided to come home to where she really belonged.

As Allison had been speaking, Sookie had been sneaking peeks across the room to where Eric was sitting on his throne and she was more then just a little amused to see what his reactions were to what Allie was telling them. At first he just stared at her like he still couldn't believe she was even there. But then as the topic turned to the vampire brothers she had befriended, he had started getting more and more visibly agitated. Sookie knew that any mention of Allie spending time around male vampires was going to set Eric off and when Allie was talking about Damon, Eric nearly lost it as he practically rose up and down in his seat as if he were fighting the urge to dart across the room. His face went through so many different levels of jealousy that Sookie had to stop looking at him or else she was going to start laughing at the very human way Eric was acting. It was more clear then ever that Eric knew he had been in the wrong and seeing him grow green and furious over Allie's story was enough to confirm what Sookie had been thinking for a while now. The viking was still insanely in love with her cousin and knew he had screwed up big time. And if the bar hadn't been filled with her, Bill and Pam, then Sookie was sure that Eric would have taking Allison back to his office and made love to her. And as much as she didn't want to think about that, it was the one thought that supported her opinion that Eric may have hope in him after all.

"Not to break up this story because it has been just so much fun to listen to." Pam piped up from her spot on top of the bar with a smirk as she turned her suspicious eyes on Allison. "But I do believe you have left something out."

"And what's that?" Allison asked, lifting her head for the first time since she stopped talking and looked around at all of then. "What?"

"Don't play dumb, because you're not very good at it." Pam shot back, leaving her spot and jumping down to the floor with her shoes only making the tiniest of sounds. She placed her hands on her hips and walked forward until she was by the table and then she leaned over. "What exactly was that thing you were talking about when you first got here? You know, that thing that you said you had to take care of."

"Oh yea..that." Allison suddenly looked like she was about to pass out as her face went pale and a sweat broke out across her forehead. She actually pushed back the chair she was sitting in and got to her feet to start pacing across the room, without looking at any of them and it made Sookie feel nervous because Allie only acted like this when something was really wrong. And right now was no different.

"Allie, what is it? You look really freaked out right now." Sookie said, glancing at her cousin before looking at Bill who was observing the girl with as much intensity as they all were. Sookie went back to watching Allison who was scrunching up her face in a frown and she nervously shook her hands in the air. "Damn it Allie, just say it. You're really freaking me out here."

"Alright alright." Allison relented, stopping in her tracks and looking them all in the eye before she spoke. "Before I actually say this, just let me say that I know how ridiculous this sounds and I am not going to blame any of you if you react badly. I didn't believe it at first myself."

"Now I am even more curious." Pam said, her face twisting into a devilish grin and she looked hopeful. "Have you finally turned over to the dark side?"

"Oh shut up Pam, I don't have time for this." Allie suddenly snapped, looking unlike herself at that moment which took everyone by surprise but not nearly as much as Eric who just had to say something smart ass back to her.

"Someone's got an attitude." Eric said, and for the first time that night, he looked like his usual self and looked at his former love and asked. "Since when did you learn to talk back?"

"Oh I don't." Allison shrugged with a glare, turning her entire focus on Eric as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I think it was right around the time you called out Sookie's name during sex."

"Ok...ok..ok. Enough." Bill snapped, cutting into the conversation and ending it before it could go any deeper. "Let's not go there right now."

"Yea, let's just get back to what Allie was saying." Sookie urged, comfortable with the direction this was heading in. "Go ahead Allie."

"Anyway, as I was saying..." She glared at Eric once more as she started talking. "This is going to sound crazy and not possible but it's the reason I stayed in Mystic Falls for as long as I did. Well, it's mostly the reason."

"Ok, that's not making any sense." Sookie told her, but she kept her eye on Eric in case he lashed out verbally again before she asked. "What did you do Allison?"

"I was resurrecting a vampire."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Oh my god that has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"She actually thinks she brought a vampire back to life."

"That is not possible, it's madness and crazy talk."

"It's bullshit is more like it."

I stood there with my hands tucked under my arms as I listened to them all continue to laugh at me like they had been doing ever since I had bluntly told them about the resurrection. And they had reacted just as I thought they would, with laughter and doubt. But it didn't bother me at all. Because frankly, if I had been on the other side and was hearing this right now then I would have been laughing too because it was so stupid to think it was possible to do what I had just said. But I had been on that side. I had thought it was impossible and crazy, but I had been proven wrong and I would do the same with all of them. Despite the ways they were trying to convince me I was in the wrong.

"Oh dear god. This is just the most insane thing I have ever heard in all my years." Pam was doubled over as she spoke. "And I thought Eric was the crazy one, but I was so wrong."

"I'm not crazy." I protested, tightening my arms around myself as I narrowed my eyes at her. "I did bring a vampire back to life."

"Uh no you didn't sweetie. That's not possible." Sookie told me gently, stepping forward with an uneasy smile. "You are just saying all this because you are tired and exhausted. You don't know what you're saying."

"Sookie, I am not tired and I know exactly what I'm saying." I snapped, annoyed that she seemed to think I was making this all up. I knew how ridiculous this sounded but she knew me and should have know that even at my most weakened state that I never said crazy things, so why would I start now.

"She's right Allison. It's just not possible." Bill agreed, his arms crossed over his chest as he shook his head at me. "If there was anyway of resurrecting vampires, it would have been done long before now. So I don't know why you think you have done it."

"But I did do it. I did." I insisted, sending a pleading look to Sookie, asking her to believe me, but the doubt was clearly written in her face and I knew no amount of talking was going to make her side with me.

"How is this even possible then? Huh? You can't bring someone back from the dead. Especially not a vampire. Once you're dead then you're dead." Sookie looked back and forth between Eric and Bill at that moment, practically begging them to agree with her before she turned to look back at me. "Allie, you have to be lying. You can't resurrect the dead."

"I'm not lying and I'm not crazy." I protested, keeping my eyes on her and Bill and trying not to let my gaze drift to Eric, but I was finding it very hard since I was just moments away from saying it was Godric who I had brought back. "I did bring a vampire back from the the dead."

"Yea ok, then how did you do it?" Eric demanded from his spot up on the empty stage and I knew without even looking at him that he had a doubtful smirk on his face. Of course he was going to be the toughest to convince since it was his maker.

"Fae Blood. Apparently a full blooded Faerie can do that, which I didn't know about obviously, but it did happen. I brought him back with my blood." I snapped and then cringed when I realized what i had let slip.

"Him? You brought back a male vampire?" Eric's cold blood was boiling right now and I could sense the fury that was starting to already build as his doubt turned to anger. "Who did you bring back?"

"I..uh..um..well I.." I couldn't even speak when the moment had come for me to finally confess the biggest piece of this story. As soon as Eric's eyes had darkened and they had turned on me, I had lost all ability to speak.

"Damn it! Speak!" Eric shouted, rising out of his chair and stepping down from the stage and onto the floor before he did something I wasn't prepared for.

"Eric! What are you doing? Let her go." Sookie yelled, frozen in her spot next to Bill as Eric rushed across the room, wrapping his hand around my throat and pushing me down on to an empty table in his anger filled rage. I felt a pain erupt in the back of my head from my skull making impact with the table and I barely managed to cry out in pain before Eric was on top of me and had fingers digging into my neck. Sookie made a move to step forward but Bill held her back and I was glad for it. Eric would only hurt her if she got closer to us. But even as Bill wrapped his arms around her, she still struggled against his grip. "Eric, stop. You will hurt her."

"Tell me the truth!" Eric hissed, his voice going dark as he turned his eyes on me and I was momentarily stunned by how they made me feel. It was like nothing had changed between us and for a second, I looked at him and he looked at me the way we used to look at each other. The way he would stare down at me after we had made love. It was a sweet,tender moment that we used to share. But then it was gone as he tightened his grip on my throat, cutting off my air supply as his eyes turned to slits. And then I heard the unmistakably sound of fangs clicking out and there they were, right in front of my eyes as Eric demanded. "Tell me right now. Who is the vampire that you resurrected?"

"That would be me." A calm voice joined the tension filled room and Eric's head shot to the front door of the bar at the sound of it. And we all let out a collected gasp as a new presence walked into the room filled with only the three vampires and Sookie and I. His face was full of disappointment as I managed to turn my head to the side despite the grip Eric had on my throat and met his eyes. He nodded at me in assurance that he would indeed take care of this like he had promised and he did. He stood there across the floor with his arms at his side and a frown on his face before he said. "Release her Eric."

"Godric." Was all Eric said before his hand left my throat and he rushed across the room...

**A/N: Yes, i know that was horribly mean of me, but it wont be long till i update again, so please review and i will get started soon.**


	3. Father and Child

**Chapter 3 Father and Child**

"Hello my child."

Eric found himself skidding to a stop at the sound of his maker's voice speaking to him and simply stood there in front of this figure with his arms hanging down at his sides and his eyes wide in disbelief. Even now that he was closer and could see that this image was completely solid, Eric still wasn't convinced that this was for real, despite the fact that he had been forced to let go of Allison and only a maker could command a vampire. But even so, he still held fast to his belief that Godric could not possibly be standing there in front of him. There was just no way that was possibly. It couldn't be. Sookie herself had seen him meet the sun last year in Dallas, she had seen him go up in flames. And Eric himself had felt the breaking of their thousand year old bond and he had been mourning the loss of it up until now. He had felt Godric's life leave him and it had been the most devastating loss he had ever encountered. He never got passed it and he never expected it too, but he had somehow been able to push it to the back of his mind so it was no longer in the forefront, because if he remembered that pain and anguish then he would never be able to function. It was bad enough when Godric had appeared to him in visions and talked to him as if he were still around, but to actually let in the idea that he had somehow come back to life would just destroy him when it turned out to be fake.

"You're not real." He said to the figure, looking down on it from his great height and shook his head. "It's not possible. Vampires can't come back from the dead."

"Some things have not changed. You still can't put your faith and hope in the things you once believed weren't possible. That is a trait you haven't lost in a thousand years." The Godric look alike spoke in the exact same manner that his maker would have spoken to him and if Eric wasn't so logical then he would have believed what was in front of him, but he didn't. This was still just a apparition, granted it was a more solid looking, real looking apparition, but it wasn't the real Godric. But this image somehow knew what he was thinking and said. "You really don't believe I have come back do you?"

"You're dead and you didn't come back. This is just a hallucination." Eric protested, looking over his shoulder to where his child was standing with Bill and Sookie wearing the same expression of disbelief as he was. But it was Allison's expression that he zeroed in on the most, she was still on her back on the table he had thrown her down on but her her head was tilted to the side to watch him interact with this image. She wasn't even looking at him directly, she was looking right passed him to Godric and there was a complete trust in her face, like she was looking at an old friend. She wouldn't be looking at him like that if there wasn't something completely fucked up about this. He turned back to the ghost and said. "This is bullshit. You're nothing more then a ghost."

"Oh really?" The image said and then without warning, it raised its arm and placed its hand on Eric's arm, a simple action that said more then his words ever could because it was the feel of this solid palm on him that made Eric freeze with shock as it became perfectly clear that this was no ghost, this was real. Godric was real and the flicker from his bond that he had been feeling was real too. It all made sense. He hadn't understood anything for weeks and had been searching for an answer and all of a sudden, there it was.

"Godric." Was all Eric could say before he sank down to the floor on his knees in front of his newly resurrected master. He didn't know how it was possible but the proof was right there staring down at him and in the moment when their eyes met, Eric knew nothing Allison had said had been a lie. She was telling the complete truth. "Godric..."

"You disappoint me Eric." Godric said to him with a shake of his head before he rushed away and flashed across the room and over to the table where Allison was. Eric turned around and watched his maker slide his hand under the girl's neck and help lift her off the table and set her on her feet on the floor before he sent a truly amused smile her way and said. "I told you I would take care of the big stuff."

"You could have gotten in here sooner before I was thrown across the table." She shot back but her face reflected the same look on his face and Eric was taken aback when he saw her hug his maker and even more so when Godric hugged her back. It was obvious that there was already a special bond in place between the two of them.

"Wait a second!" Sookie exclaimed, being the first of the others to speak up from the other side of the room and they all turned to see her stepping forward with her hands on her hips. "Not that we're not happy to see you, but some serious explaining is needed for this to all make sense."

"Yes I apologize for that Ms. Stackhouse." Godric replied, motioning for all of them to sit down in the chairs surrounding them and Sookie did just that, sitting with Bill on a leather bound couch while Pam remained on the stool at the bar. Allison sat beside Godric but Eric had not made a point of coming closer to the group. He could hear perfectly fine right here.

"How did this come to be?" Bill questioned, a doubtful look still present on his face. "How did it pass from you meeting the sun to you coming back to life? It doesn't make any sense and if had been possible then resurrecting vampires would have been done long ago."

"It was a myth way back in my time that was only whispered about but it was never taken seriously because it was so strongly believed that when you died you were gone for good. And you couldn't come back. But that myth turned out to be wrong as you can see." Godric told them, glancing back at him with a questioning look before speaking again. "I have been resurrected but only because my soul was still intact."

"What does that mean?" Eric found himself speaking up without meaning to. He hadn't wanted to speak for fear of what would come out of his mouth but he needed answers as they all did.

"Let me start at the beginning where all this started a few years before the incident in Dallas." Godric said, sitting back in his chair with his hands in his lap before he started explaining it in bits and pieces. "I was traveling through the country when I came across a witch who had been seeking out the blood of the oldest and most powerful vampires around and she had somehow learned of my age and she wanted me to supply her and her coven with my blood. But I refused of course and she did not take well to that. So she cursed me. And more accurately, she cursed my soul."

"What?" Eric heard his voice escape in a hiss at this sudden revelation and for a moment, he was filled with fury over the thought of some witch cursing his maker.

"I did not know the full extent of it until I tried to meet the sun last year. Apparently, when I tried to leave this world I was under the impression that I could do it without trouble. But in some way, this witch knew of my desire to no longer be a apart of this world. And she made sure to curse the very thing that would keep me from passing on peacefully, she cursed my soul. She wanted to deny me the very thing I wanted just like I had denied her my blood. If she couldn't have what she wanted then neither could I. So when I tried to destroy my body, my soul was ripped from my body and sent into hiding. And although it looked like I was meeting the sun, in actuality a part of me was still alive. The most important part of me, my soul was still very much intact, and so I could never truly die. It was an act of pure revenge by not letting me pass on like I wanted since it was what I had desired above all else. I couldn't just walk out because there was a dark curse placed upon the tomb and with my body not in physical form, I couldn't just leave. My soul was set to be trapped in a tomb for all eternity or if by some chance, someone came across me and was able to help."

"But how did that end up happening?" Sookie looked from Godric to Allison since it was her part in all this that seemed to be the key to all of it. "How did Allie wind up being the one to bring you back to life?"

"When I was leaving Bon Temps, I felt a pull to go to Mystic Falls and I didn't understand it but I followed through and went there as you know." Allison cut in, taking over the explanation. "And when I got there, that pull just got stronger and I never understood why. And then I started hearing things that no one else could hear and it wasn't until much later that I found out the voice was Godric calling out to me to find him."

"How did you come across the tomb?" Sookie asked her, her face starting to show comprehension from what was being said.

"I was at work one night and I heard Godric's voice telling me it was time to find him. I didn't know it was him yet because the voice was distorted, but I ran out anyway and eventually met up with Elena and the Salvatores." Allison paused when Eric found himself letting our a low growl at the mention of the vampire brothers she had befriended. But she ignored him and went on. "And I followed the voice to the tomb and went down in the dark with Damon and that's when we just came across Godric. And he explained everything to me."

"So how did you get him out if he couldn't simply walk out like he said?' Pam demanded, crossing her arms with a doubtful smirk. "What method could have been used to lift a curse?"

"It was actually quite simple." Godric cut back in, taking over the conversation. "It was just a matter of finding a witch to undo the curse so I would walk out with my body full regenerated, but the only witch in town was just a young girl and she wouldn't do it."

"I'll kill her." Eric snapped suddenly, gaining the attention of all of them in the room but Godric turned his head and ignored him completely.

"With an unwilling witch to do the spell to lift the curse there was only one other option and it had been an option I was hoping to avoid." His maker spoke, looking at Allison with apologetic eyes. "But it was the only way for my body to be restored to what it once was. And that was by ingesting Fae blood. A lot of it. It had to replenish the blood that was destroyed in my suicide."

"You gave him your blood?" Sookie asked, her mouth dropping in shock and she looked rapidly back and forth between the two of them as if to make sure she had heard right. "But that must have been a lot …."

"Oh you have no idea." Allison chuckled, running her hands through her silky brown hair and shrugged as if it were no big deal. "I had to draw blood into a bottle every few days just so he was getting it on a regular basis."

"And that actually works?" Pam asked, her lips pressed together in a tight line.

"Few know about it but yes, it does work." His maker nodded in confirmation at her question. "Fae blood has the power to restore a vampire's body should the soul ever be parted from the physical body. It's innocent blood and that kind of blood can resurrect something that is considered the opposite of it, which is a vampire. So she would continue to give me blood until one night about three weeks ago, I was able to walk out of that tomb fully resurrected."

"The same night I felt our bond reignite." Eric mumbled, his eyes turning to slits as he glared at all the faces who had doubted him. "I told you I wasn't making it up."

"We didn't know that at the time Eric." Pam answered for them since she had been the one who had not believed him the most. "It just sounded so crazy. We had no idea that Godric was alive and could have been resurrected. It just sounded so complete out of this world."

"Wait a second." Eric was finally able to draw himself back up to his feet as a thought erupted inside of his head and a crushing weight of fury and betrayal hit him square in the chest. Godric had never really died last year, at least not completely. It had just been unknown that his soul had been trapped in a tomb in the middle of a town he had never been to. But yet he had still been able to appear to him in his darkest hour and not once did Godric ever hint to him of what was to come. And that made him insane with anger. "You have technically been alive this whole time and never thought to to appear to me and explain all this? You kept it to yourself for a year? And never thought to fucking tell me that you could have been brought back? Don't you think I should have known this?"

"Even if I had told you this, it could have gone two ways" Godric turned around in his seat to place his eyes fully on him. "You may not have believed me in the first place. And if you did, you would have been so blinded by your quest for revenge that you wouldn't be able to concentrate long enough to get this task done. And we both know that for a fact."

"But that's not the biggest thing you will be mad about." Allison said quietly, looking down at her hands before she spoke. "There is something we haven't mentioned."

"And what would that be exactly?" Eric found his hands already curling into fists before he even knew what it was that she was going to tell him.

"Well, being that my blood was the only way to bring Godric back to life, he had to have a lot of it and unbeknownst to us, it sort of forged a... a bond of sorts." Allison refused to look at anyone when she said what she said next. "A blood bond technically. I can feel his emotions now."

If Eric didn't know jealousy before then he certainly knew it now. It flooded his entire body like a tidal wave and it engulfed every part of part of him as he stood there in the middle of the bar. The idea of Godric taking Allison's blood when no other vampire had done so before was just maddening. Sure he had let her go a few months ago, but only because he knew it was the right thing to do. He had hurt her and she needed to be away from him and he couldn't hurt her anymore. But he wasn't worried about anyone stomping on his territory. At least not until now. Allison belonged to him, he had laid claim to her and no one else was supposed to drink from her. That was reserved for him and him alone. Only he was allowed to taste her intoxicating blood and to find out that his own maker had drank the blood of the woman he loved just drove him berserk. And now those two had a bond that was going to connect them for the rest of their long lives. Godric was going to have a closeness with her that Eric so desperately sought to recover but may never get. And that made him insane.

"You gave...gave blood...to him..and now there is a fucking blood bond!"

"Eric calm down..."

"I will not calm down. She is mine. I claimed her. No one else is supposed to feed from her. Not even my maker."

"Eric, he didn't feed from me..."

"Shut up. If you value your life you will not speak another word."

"Eric, I will not have you speak to anyone like that." Godric stated, his voice taking on an authoritative tone that he had never really used before. His maker got up from the chair he had been sitting in for the past hour and came over to him. "I realize that this is a lot to..."

"And you!" Eric couldn't seem to stop what he did next and it was never the action he had imagined he would do when he was reunited with his maker. Even though it had been impossible at the time, now that Godric was standing in front of him with Allison's blood running through his veins he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and pushing at Godric's shoulders, using enough force to send his maker flying across the floor to the other side of the empty bar amidst the screams and shouts coming from Bill and Sookie behind him.

Once Godric was out of the way, he turned his focus to Allison who had jumped out of her chair in shock at his sudden actions. Her face was full of concern for a vampire that wasn't him and seeing her attention on his maker drove him even wilder with jealousy and it was because of this that he lashed out again. He rushed back over to where she was and just like earlier, he wrapped his hand around her throat, his grip so tight that he was certain he was cutting of her air intake but he didn't care. He wanted to make her feel just the tiniest bit of pain and fury that he was feeling now.

"Eric don't." Bill had left Sookie's side and rushed over with his hands outstretched to pull him off of Allison. But Eric was ready for him and with his free hand, he grabbed Bill by the arm and threw him across the floor where he hit the wall behind the bar and fell behind the counter. Sookie ran after him to check on him while Eric turned his face back down to Allison and he took that moment to extend his fangs just quick enough to make a flash of fear cross her eyes. He snarled, yanking her head to the side so he could sink those fangs into her neck and taste her again.

But before he could, he felt a set of hands grab him by the shoulders from behind and yank him away from Allison. He knew it was Godric by the strength and force that was used in pulling him across the floor, and he still tried to fight against it. But his maker was a lot older then him and a hell of a lot more stronger then he could ever hope to be. And that was evident when Godric shoved him right against the wall with enough force that some of the shelves started to quiver and shake above them while he looked down at his maker only to see Godric with his fangs also extended and a dark look in his eyes had never been present in all this time.

"Do not anger me my child. I understand that you are furious, but if you ever put your hands on me again in that manner, then I will make sure you are punished for it. All these months in a tomb have not changed a thing. I am still your maker and you will respect me."

"Fuck you." Eric hissed, bringing up his hands and threw Godric right on back away from him for the second time, feeling more pain then he ever thought possible at his maker's reemergence. His eyes never left the group of faces staring at him as he backed away from the door. "I'm not dealing with this night anymore."

"Eric.." Godric began to speak but Eric was already rushing out of the bar and away from the building before his maker could even finish his sentence.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Well...that went pretty well." Sookie said in an attempt to ease the tension by being the first one to speak after Eric had stormed out of the bar at the end of his little temper tantrum. She came over to me where I was on the floor after Eric had dropped me when he was pulled away by Godric and helped me up. "Are you ok?"

"Yea, I'm perfectly fine." I managed to tell her but I was rubbing my neck where it was aching to the point that I knew I would have bruising within the next few hours. But other then the pain in my head, I was alright and I told her that. "Don't worry, I'm ok. I have survived Eric's freak outs before."

"I apologize for that." Godric spoke up from where he was still standing by the wall he had shoved Eric into and turned to look at us with his head down in shame. "Eric is my child and his behavior reflects on me. And I greatly apologize on his behalf for his reaction."

"It's not your fault. Eric is his own person without your help." I told Godric, feeling bad that he was being forced to take responsibility for Eric's actions even though they were through no fault of his own. And I certainly didn't blame him at all. We both knew Eric was not going to take anything well on this first night and I was actually surprised that it hadn't gotten worse. Because with Eric and his temper, he could have done more damage then he already had. He was upset and angry and in shock. And as much as I wanted to hate him, I understood how he felt. "Eric will calm down. You know he will. He loves you and he had been mourning you for a long time and would have given anything to have you back. And now you are. It will just take time."

"She's right." Sookie nodded in agreement at my side as her hand wrapped around my wrist as if to make sure I would never leave. "It's just a lot to take in. But he will calm down."

"Never the less, we should still leave before Eric comes back and we risk angering him more with our presence." Bill said, standing with his hands in his pockets. "It's not that I don't wish to stay here and celebrate your return Godric. But if Eric returns and lashes out again, I want to make sure Sookie is protected by not being here."

"I understand completely." Godric replied, sending an assured smile at Bill to show he wasn't offended by this and waved his hand. "Go home and relax. It's been a long night for everyone."

"Good night Godric." Sookie said sweetly, waving at him before she started to walk towards Bill but she was pulled to a stop when she realized I hadn't started walking with her. "Allie come on. It's time for us to go home."

"I'm not going home. Not yet anyway." I told her, releasing her hand from my arm and stood back as I watched her face go from confusion to nervousness. "Don't worry, I am going back to the house, but I need to stay here a little longer. I have to talk to Godric in private and...i also want to speak with Eric."

"I don't think that is a good idea." Bill insisted, moving forward quickly as if he were going to stand in front of me protectively but I held up my hand to stop him. He however kept talking. "Allison, Eric is already in a bad mood and he left to get away from all of us. What do you think is going to happen when he comes back and sees you still here?"

"I appreciate the concern Bill, I really do but this is something that I need to do." I explained with a gentle smile. I loved that he was so protective over Sookie and I, but right now I did not need it. I knew this was something that had to be done. "I have to talk to him. And I mostly need to do it for myself."

"Allie, I just don't think its safe for you to do that." Sookie bit her lip nervously as she looked to Bill for advice but he was just shaking his head at the both of us. I could tell she was reluctant to agree to this but finally she looked at me and said. "Ok, we will leave you here with Godric as long as you promise to come right home after you talk to Eric so we know you are ok."

"Of course I promise that." I retorted, pulling her into my arms for a reassuring hug. "Don't worry, I will be fine and I will be home."

"And you are going to buy a new cell phone so we always can keep in touch." She ordered me in a very maternal way that only proceeded to make Godric and I giggle. Sookie pulled back with a frown. "What?"

"I was the one who threw her phone out the window." Godric answered sheepishly, his arms tucked around himself as he came to join us. "And I promised her I would replace it."

"Make sure you do. We were all freaking out here." Sookie scolded as Bill started leading her away towards the door. "And don't do that again. We humans like our cell phones."

"We're not human Sookie." I yelled out across the room as she and Bill finally left and Godric and I were alone in the bar with one but each other to stare at. Pam had long since disappeared and she was most likely looking for Eric right about now. I looked at Godric who had taken a seat back at the table and was sitting there with his head in his hands, looking anything like the 2000 year old vampire that he was. I grabbed the seat next to him and asked. "Are you ok?"

"I hurt him." He replied, lifting his face and dropping his chin in one hand. "I hurt Eric. He's in pain right now because of me."

"Hey, don't talk like that." I frowned, reaching through the air between us and placed my hand on his cold wrist and tugged it down so our hands were joined together before I smiled at him. "Remember what you told me this entire week? It's not going to be easy but he will come around. He just needs time. You told me that. And now you have to hold on to it because its true. Eric will calm down. It's just the first night. He doesn't know what to make of all this. But it will be ok."

"I'm glad your faith in Eric is much stronger then mine."

* * *

><p><em><span>3 hours later<span>_

_"He's back."_

_"What? Are you serious? But we've been waiting here for hours. I fell off this stool twice because I fell asleep waiting for him."_

_"I felt his presence. He's back in the building. Most likely hiding in his office."_

_"Typical Eric for you. Are you going to talk to him?"_

_"I think I will. He won't be all that receptive for a long time so there's no reason I cant speak with him now. I'll still get the same reactiom tonight as I will probably get 3 months from now."_

_"Good luck."_

_"Thank, I'll need it."_

"Go away. I don't wish to speak to you." Eric's voice came clear through the door of his office before Godric had even finished walking down the hallway to the room. He paused though, hearing the weariness in his child's voice and debated whether it was a good idea to push his progeny even further to the brink by forcing another conversation, this time just between the two of them. But Godric had a feeling that if he didn't speak to Eric one on one and get it over with then it could prove to do more harm then good. And Godric had done enough harm. So he ignored Eric's order and pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind him before he focused his attention on the desk where his child was sitting behind hunched over. Eric's face glared over at him with a snarl. "I thought I told you to go away."

"And I though I made it clear that I still demand respect from you my child." Godric shot back, not about to take the high road like he had done so many other times when it came to Eric. Something Godric felt he had been too easy on his progeny over the years and in some ways that almost undermined his power as Eric's maker. But Godric created Eric and he was the one with the power. He looked over Eric's angry face and noticed the red stain around his lips and raised his eyebrows. "I see that you have been feeding on humans the last few hours while I have been waiting for you to return."

"Yea, so what?" Eric wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as he smirked. "It's not a crime if they're willing."

"You know how I feel about that Eric." Godric sighed, already feeling agitated with his child and they had only started talking less then 2 minutes ago.

"Frankly I don't really care how you feel about anything right now." The blonde viking hissed harshly as he gripped the edges of the desk. "After all, you didn't seem to care how I would feel knowing you were alive all this time so why should I care about your feelings?"

"Don't start Eric. I'm not going to fight with you again tonight." Godric told him, crossing his arms as he ventured further into the office and stood in front of the desk with his eyes bearing down on Eric. "This wasn't how our reunion was supposed to go."

"Well how exactly did you think it was going to go?" Eric snapped, rising from his seat and stomping around to the other side of the desk. "Did you think you could just waltz on in here and tell every single detail about the past year and it would be alright? Did you honestly believe that keeping the fact that you were alive this whole time was not going to bother me? Well it did."

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you like this..." Godric began to answer but Eric had to cut him off in his haste to get out his anger.

"Do you have any idea how bad I wished that there was a way to bring you back? Do you get that I would have done anything in my power to give you life again? To have my maker back with me? And then to find out that not only were you brought back, but you knew it was possible since the day you tried to meet the sun."

"I know you are upset..."

"I could have helped you. I could have been there if you had just told me what was going on. You appeared to me countless amounts of time and you never said anything."

"It would have made a difference. The curse would have prevented you from seeing me even if you had come across that tomb. But Allison was different. She was the one I needed..."

"And that makes it even worse. You took blood from the woman I had claimed for myself. You drank her life force even though you knew she was mine."

"I didn't ask her to give me her blood. She offered it to me when she found out it was the only way for me to be resurrected. I did not order her, threaten her or even ask her to do it. She did it willingly even when I tried to keep that option to myself. And she had already drawn blood anyway and would have kept on doing it even if I refused. So yes I did take it, otherwise her efforts and pain would have been for nothing. So do not fault me for this."

"No one was supposed to have tasted her besides me. That was my special thing with her and you ruined it. And you know how sacred that was to me."

"Eric..."

"Get out." Eric ordered quietly, walking back around his desk and dropping down into the chair with his hands clutching the piece of furniture even tighter then before. His blue eyes were so full of betrayal and hurt that Godric actually had to look away when it became too much. "Just get out."

Godric wanted to offer up a resistance, make a stance to prove to Eric that he wasn't going anywhere and that he was going to do whatever it took to regain the bond they had once shared. He should have stayed there in that office all night until Eric ran out again but another look at his child told Godric he couldn't stay here. He had already pushed Eric hard enough for one night and any more pushing would possibly be too much and would cut off the final string holding them together. If that happened then there was no hope for them. So he had to give it up for tonight. But him leaving right now was in no way an act of giving up. There was no way he was giving up on Eric. He never would.

"Fine, I will leave you alone for now. But let me make one thing clear before I go." Godric said as he stood up and made his way over to the door before looking over his shoulder at his child. "I did this because I thought it was the right option. I did not do it to bring pain into your life. But I did do that and I'm so sorry for it. One day you will forgive me, of that I am sure. Maybe not a few weeks, months or even years from now, but someday it will happen. And I'm going to make sure that I'm here when that days comes. I'm not going anywhere Eric. Not this time."

And then he turned and left the office without looking back again.

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Allison?" I heard my name being called by that familiar gentle voice and I looked across the floor to see Godric emerging from the door with a grim look on his face that said it had not gone the way he was hoping it to go. He walked toward me at the same time I was walking towards him and we ended up stopping in the middle of the floor before he said. "You were right. He needs more time."

"I knew he was going to be like that." I grumbled, crossing my arms with a sigh. "I mean, I knew it wasn't all going to end happy when we showed up with this shocker, but I was hoping that a miracle could happen."

"That's because you're still innocent enough to believe in miracles." He answered back, a slight smile coming across his lips as he spoke. "And in a way that's a good thing. Because it makes me believe too."

"It will happen just you said it would." I assured him, grimacing because I knew there was a long road ahead for all of us but mostly for Eric and Godric. "Eric's going to come around. You'll see."

"Maybe so." He nodded with a shrug, dropping his arms to the side as he looked at me. "But now that I said what I came here to say, it is time for me to retire for the evening."

"Where will you stay now that you're back?" I asked, kicking myself for not asking him this sooner. But Godric was a vampire and was more resourceful then I was. He could take care of himself, but I still had to make sure. "I mean, you do have a place to go right?"

"Your concern for a vampire is much amusing." He told me, laughing to himself. "But do not worry about me. I promise that I have a safe home to go to."

"Promise?" I asked, staring at him in an attempt to push our blood bond to see if he was lying.

"I promise." He assured me, stepping forward and placing his hand against my cheek before I felt his cool lips brushing against my forehead. "And promise me that you will be careful when you speak with my child. He's in rare form tonight."

"I promise" I sent a smile up at him to let him know I was serious and I was. There was no way I was going to put myself in danger tonight. I had already had two close calls and that was enough for me. If Eric even looked like he was going to lash out then I was out of there. Screw the talk, my safety came first. "Good night Godric."

"Good night Allison." He kissed my forehead one more time and then in a flash he was gone and I was alone in the middle of the bar. Not even Pam had come back in the main room and I knew Eric was back there which meant it was time to go see him one on one.

"This is probably very very stupid of me to do..."

* * *

><p><em><span>In the office<span>_

"Eric? Can we talk?" A small voice spoke up from the doorway and he turned his head at the sound that he would have known anywhere.

Allison Stackhouse looked just as beautiful in his eyes as she had been the night she had come to his home to tell him she was leaving. Her body was just as tiny and as delicate as it had been back then and that hadn't changed as she leaned against the door-frame and faced him. Her long hair had gotten longer and still shinned when it caught the light, making him wish he could just get up and run his fingers through it like he used to. She looked the same but it was her eyes that told a different story. Whenever he had looked into her green orbs, he had always been transfixed by the innocence and playfulness of her eyes. But now they were no longer full of joy, they were full of pain. A pain that he had brought down upon by his stupid mistake from 4 months ago. It was because of him that the light had gone out of her eyes and he hated himself for it. But upon looking at her, he didn't forget that she had brought something back with her in her return, something that brought him pain as well.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" He asked her, sitting back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head. "You must have if you came here to talk to me after having me attack you twice."

"Maybe I do." She answered back with more attitude then he had ever heard her use with him and if was going to be honest, then the sound of that tone in her sweet voice turned him on. He watched as she strolled into the room, her hands tucked under her arms and her tiny hips swinging to the side as she moved until she was standing in front of him. "I'm not intentionally looking for trouble."

"I think you are if you think it is a good idea to come talk to me." He said to her with a smirk, unable to just keep in mind that they had time and miles between them since they had last been alone together. None of that mattered right now was that they were in the same room and he should have said something to fix what he had done but even he couldn't manage to do that. So he had to ruin it. "You shouldn't be here."

"You know what? You're right. I shouldn't be here." She snapped, her green eyes flaring up suddenly with a fury that he hadn't seen before and for a moment he was taken aback when she started talking. "You don't deserve to have me here after how you behaved. And I'm not just talking about tonight. I'm also referring to the oh so charming way that you broke my heart 4 months ago. And I don't know why, but I thought that when I finally did come home, that maybe you would have changed somehow. And it's obvious to me that you haven't changed a bit over the last few months. You are still the cold-hearted bastard you were when I left. And now I almost regret coming here to talk to you."

"So why are you here?" He questioned, getting up and sweeping around the side of the desk so he towered above her with a devilish smile. "Why did you feel the need to come talk to me alone?"

"I saw the look in your eyes tonight when you attacked me and it was a look of pain. I knew you were hurting over this whole Godric emergence and I just couldn't leave without speaking to you." She told him, tilting her head back so their eyes met but her hair fell down her back exposing her smooth neck to his view. He could still see the scars on her skin from the last time he had fed on her and he wondered just how long it would be until he could do it again. But she shook her head and brought him out of his thoughts before she spike again. "Because even though you broke my heart and caused me more anguish and suffering then I could take, a part of me just can't handle seeing you in pain. So I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"You haven't changed at all." He smirked, taken aback by her statement but not enough to stop him from doing what he did next. He raised his hand to her face, his fingers brushing again her cheek and she seemed to enjoy the touch because he heard the small sigh escape from her lips. He grinned, loving that he still had that effect on her and leaned down so he could kiss her sweet lips again...

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" She snapped, coming to and stepping backwards away from him with a look of disgust as she headed towards the door to leave. "Just because I came to check on you doesn't make the situation any different. This doesn't change anything Eric. We're not back together and we won't be, ever again."

"We'll see about that."


	4. See clearly

**Chapter 4 See clearly**

_Two days later_

"Can I ask you something?" Sookie came into my bedroom a few days later with two cups of coffee in her hands while I sat on the floor surrounded by boxes and clothes that I was attempting to sort out for the first time since coming home. But I was glad to take a break and took the cup she handed me before she sat down on a nearby box and sighed. "It's kind of something I have been curious about but I hadn't wanted to ask you since that night because you were trying to settle back in and I didn't want to ruin it for you. But I can't hold back anymore."

"Just ask me already, we always talk about everything." I told her, waving my hand for her to put the question out there while I took a sip of the hot coffee.

"Yea, we talk about everything, but this has been a sore subject with us since you left and I wasn't sure how to approach it." She shrugged, both her hands wrapped around her mug as she leaned her head down so her blonde hair fell in front of her face. "It has to do with Eric."

"Eric huh?" I smirked, already feeling the urge to roll my eyes at where this was going. I had my own set of things in mind when the subject of Eric Northman came up and right now was no different. "What about him?"

"The night you came back with Godric and you said you were staying at the bar for a while so you could talk to Eric, I was just curious about what it was that you were talking to him about." She said, pushing her hair behind her ears as she took a dainty taste of her coffee. "I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I just thought I would ask."

"Believe it or not, I didn't get into a fight with him." I smirked again to myself, thinking back to how I had let loose on Eric in his office and how I never would have had the strength to do that 4 months ago. "But I did go there to make sure he was alright."

"You're serious?" Sookie sat up with her jaw hanging wide open in surprise. "You actually wanted to check up on the asshole? After he attacked you, twice?"

"I was kind of shocked myself, but I saw the look in his eyes when everything with Godric came out on the table and I knew he was hurting. And despite what he did to me, I couldn't leave without making sure he ok." This time it was me who looked down and broke the stare because now that I said it out loud, I felt ashamed for being concerned about someone who had hurt me so bad. Who still cares about their ex after such a screw up mistake? "I know its stupid, but I'm such a pushover and I couldn't bear the thought of him in pain."

"Oh my god, you are so going to end up getting back together with him." She exclaimed, looking partially amused like she didn't think I had any self control but also worried that it would end up breaking me down again even worse then before. But I didn't know if I could even entertain the idea of getting back together with Eric but Sookie clearly was by what she asked next. "Do you still have feelings for Eric?"

"Of course I still care about him. That kind of thing doesn't just go away in just a few months no mater what he did. It would be easier if it had because then I could just move on completely, but there is still something there." I explained, hating myself even more for saying all this out loud. I had been battling this whole situation for a long time now even while I fell for someone else. But it didn't erase the past and it didn't take away the love I had for Eric and still had for him. And I don't know if it ever would. "I did tell him before I left home that if we were meant to be, then we would find a way back to each other so it remains to be seen what happens."

"Do you think you and Eric will ever give it another shot?" She questioned, setting down her coffee with a raise of her eyebrows and then a deep set frown. "Do you still want to be with him?"

"I don't know. I haven't even really been able to think that far ahead with everything that has happened this week. My only focus was on coming home and explaining everything and even now I'm just thinking about trying to help Godric make peace with Eric. And when it comes to my future with Eric, I just can't even begin to process this." I shrugged, sighing more heavily then I thought possible. I had just arrived home and I was feeling slightly overwhelmed with the intensity of the situations I was now being faced with. I hadn't even really had a chance to breathe before I was thrust back into a world that somehow revolved around Eric Northman and now I didn't know what to do. "He broke my heart really bad and I don't know if that will ever go away. But I will tell you this, if that were to happen then it would take a hell of a lot of effort on his part to get me back."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that afternoon<span>_

"Sookie, can I speak with you for a few minutes?" Sam asked as soon as she walked in the door of Merlotte's with her apron under her arm and her hands quickly twisting her hair into a loose braid while he walked out from the back and waited for her to reach him. Once she was within a few feet of him, he grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her through the doorway and down the hall to his office.

"Sam, relax I'm following you, you don't need to pull my arm out." She protested with a frown as he ignored her statement and continued pulling her until he opened the door to his office and pushed her in before slamming the door shut and locking it. She turned out to face him with her arms crossed, wondering what the hell this was about. She had no prior warning that he was going to be acting like this when she came in to start her shift. He never just grabbed her and pushed her into his office when he needed to talk. But it was obvious that something was the matter or else he wouldn't have that look on his face. "What's going on?"

"Are the rumors true?" He demanded once he had turned around to look at her. His eyes which were normally so full of playfulness and light and now they were just narrow and suspicious. "Is Allison really back?"

"Yea, she came home a few night ago. I completely forgot that I hadn't told you." Sookie so wanted to slap herself in the head for not mentioning this sooner. Of course Sam of all people would want to know that the girl he loved was back in town for good. "I'm sorry, it's just been a crazy few days."

"She's home?" Sam's voice sounded strange as he spoke and it wasn't filled with the happy tone she had been expecting. Instead it was icy and angry and full of disgust. "I can't believe..."

"Sam why do you look like..." Sookie tried to say as she reached out for his arm, but the moment she touched him she was suddenly thrust into a flurry of thoughts and she could not believe what she was seeing and hearing.

_"...how could you be so stupid? How could you get involved with another vampire" Sam's voice was so full of anger as Allie stood in the arms of a leather jacket wearing, dark haired man that was clearly a vampire. "I can't believe you __kissed him."_

_"..you're a dead man Shifter.." The dark haired vampire flew at Sam but Sam managed to get on top of him and start slamming his head on the pavement._

_"Stop it right now." Allison screamed, her hands shooting out a strong white light that threw both Sam and the vampire backwards into a nearby fence._

_"..I'm your best friend?" Sam asked with a scoff as he glared down at Allison. "That's the biggest pile of shit I have ever heard..."_

_"Are you ok?"_

_"Not at all. I have to go talk to him about this. I can't let him walk away this mad.."_

_"Sam? Sam, please we need to talk about this?" Allie begged as it appeared she walked into a room in what had to be her apartment. "I don't want you to leave like this."_

_"We don't need to talk because there is nothing to talk about...you're involved with this vampire just like I thought you were...there's nothing left to say."_

_"Sam, don't do this. Please don't be mad." Allison begged, tears streaming down her face._

_"..it's your fault...you didn't tell me about Damon...i have nothing left to say to you...I'm leaving...do not stop me."_

_"You can't leave."_

_"..i can't be around you...you disgust me."_

_"Why are you being like this? Why is this such a big deal? Why do you care?" Allison cried out to Sam before he walked over and grabbed her up in his arms and laid a deep kiss on her surprised lips that he kept there for a long time until he pulled away with a frown._

_"That's why I care. Because I'm still in love with you...I thought coming to Mystic Falls would finally turn things in my favor...but I was wrong..."_

_"Sam, don't do this."_

_"It's because I'm not a vampire, isn't it? You only like to screw around with dead guys..."_

"Oh my god." Sookie snatched her hand away from his arm so she wouldn't have such a clear view of what was going through his head and stepped back in horror. "That's why you didn't look happy to hear that Allie was home. You went to Mystic Falls to see her."

"Yea, and as you saw I was hoping it would make her fall for me finally. And all that ended up happening was me seeing her make out with another vampire." Sam growled under his breath as they looked at each other and for a second she almost felt sorry for him. But then she remembered all the horrible things he had said to her cousin and Sookie found her hand raising before she could stop it and slapped her boss across the face. He stumbled back from the force, instantly grabbing his jaw in shock. "What the hell was that for?"

"How could you say such things to her? Why would you go there and bring the pain with you? Jesus Christ Sam, that was why she left Bon Temps in the first place, to get away from the pain and you just had to bring it there." Sookie snapped, her hands going instantly to her hip as she was filled with more fury towards him then she ever had before. "How could you be so mean?"

"I was hurt ok. I was saying it in the heat of the moment." He protested, rubbing his face with his fingers.

"I don't care if you're hurt or it was the heat of the moment. You don't say stuff like that." Sookie exploded sharply at him, her hands clenching her waist so tightly that it was beginning to hurt but she didn't care. Sam had pissed her off by what he had shown her and she was going to make it known that he was the one in the wrong and not Allie. "And another thing, you can't get mad at Allie for kissing someone else that you don't like, that's her choice. And she never led you on or gave any indication that she felt the same. You just made that all up in your head and fought with her to hurt her. But now you just hurt me and I am so disgusted right now."

"Sookie..." Sam's voice took a turn and was now filled with regret and shame and he tried to reach out to her but she wasn't having any of it. She ignored his hands and stomped around him to the door, unable to remain in this room with him after seeing the way he had behaved in his thoughts. "Please, I didn't mean to be that harsh."

"But you were that harsh and it isn't the first time you have done this." She flipped the lock and grabbed the knob and twisted, opening it up into the hallway and looked over her shoulder at Sam who was standing there looking bad and he should. There was no excuse for his behavior, none at all. She didn't know what his problem was, but it was almost like he was trying to screw up everything. "Is it necessary for you to be a first class dick all the time?"

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that Night<span>_

"Oh boy, it has been such a good day." I sighed happily to myself as I leaned against the porch railing and stared up at the dark night sky with the biggest smile on my face that I wasn't sure I would ever wear when I decided to come home, but it was definitely possible and it was definitely there. And it was just from the simple way of getting back into the rhythm of things after I had been away. I had spent a majority of the day pulling the boxes out of my car and the trailer and up to my room so I could finally get everything unpacked and put away so it felt like I had never left. And those tasks proved to keep me busy all the way from when I woke up,up until the point when night had fallen and I finally threw the last of the boxes in a pile on the back porch and came back through the house to get myself a cup of tea before I settled on the steps out in front on the porch and looked up at the stars twinkling above me. I was alone for the night as Sookie was working late but I didn't mind, I kind of liked being alone after the emotional last couple of nights. It was good to have time just to myself.

"You're beautiful." A cool voice said from my left that I hadn't even noticed had been filled with a tall figure and as I turned my head to face it, I wasn't surprised when Eric came strolling across the grass towards me with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face that seemed to be always permanently frozen there. "I mean that."

"Oh great, there goes my peaceful evening alone." I grumbled, setting aside my cup of tea on the railing above me and stood up just as he reached me and crossed my arms tightly, wishing I had thought to pull on a pair of sweatpants instead of just the small pair of shorts I was wearing. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to see you." He answered simply, walking up the steps towards me despite me backing away in protest. He only seemed to gain amusement from it as he stood there towering above me. "Do I make you nervous?"

"No, I just don't have any desire to see you right now." I shot back, doing my best to keep a straight face but I just couldn't always manage it and I knew my lips were occasionally slipping into a smirk. I couldn't help it. Despite what I had said to Sookie before about it taking Eric more effort to win me back, there was still very much a part of me that just wanted to jump him and rip his clothes off, or at least the other way around. I focused on his eyes and I could see by his expression that he was guessing what I was thinking about and I hated that. He had always been able to tell when I was getting aroused. "Nothing is going to happen between us so you might as well get out of here."

"We both know you want me to do things to you, there's no use denying it." He said with a deep smirk that went above and beyond any smirk he had used on me before. "You could save us both a lot of trouble and just say yes."

"And what? Save you the time and energy you would have to use to put into the effort to get to that point? No, I don't think so." I shook my head, the temporary smile disappearing from my lips as I looked at him. He hadn't changed at all. He was still the cocky vampire that just expected everyone to give him what he wanted just because he was Eric Northman. Well that wasn't going to happen. "Seriously Eric, you didn't come here and expect that we would just jump into bed. You obviously have something to say. So why are you here?"

"I told you I came to see you. Don't you listen to me?" He asked, his smile getting brighter as if he weren't taking this seriously at all. "Maybe I need to punish you for not paying attention. Maybe I should take you away."

"The last time you tried to keep me anywhere, I threw you across the room and you landed on your ass." I reminded him, seeing the image of that morning playing back in my bed after I had pushed him away from me. I had been so broken-hearted and angry that when my powers came to use they managed to overpower him so greatly that he was briefly stunned. And I knew if the time every came then I could do the same here. "You know I can overpower you if I have to. So either tell me why you are here or else I am going inside."

"Alright fine." He relented, the smirk sliding off his face as he stepped back and leaned against the wall as I tried to put as much distance between us and went to the railing with my arms crossed. His blue eyes found mine before he spoke again. "I was thinking about what you said the night you came home. Where you told me we would never be together again."

"And I meant it. We're done. It's not going to happen again." I did not like where this was going. I may have said to Sookie that Eric would have to try hard to get me back, but now that he was standing in front of me and it was just us, I was suddenly very nervous of where this conversation was going to go. I don't think I was ready to talk about this with Eric. Not with our history. Maybe with Sookie or Godric but not with him. It was too hard. "I can't do that again. So don't even ..."

"I want you back." He blurted out before I could tell him not to and he was successful in shutting me up as soon as he said that because I did fall quiet. He stood up straight and looked across the porch and right into my eyes. "I don't want Sookie, I want you. Saying her name when I was being intimate with you was a total lapse in judgment and a mistake that I realized not long after you left. I thought I still cared for her but I don't. And it only became obvious to me that I said that because I was fearing the strong feelings I had for you. My love for you made me nervous and I felt the need to screw that up so I did. But I hurt you worse then I thought I would and I hate myself for that. And I want another chance to fix it. I want you to give me another chance. I want us to have a future."

"I..uh...um.." I had to bite down on my bottom lip to keep my composure but my eyes still filled with tears and blurred my vision to the point where I could no longer see Eric. I made the choice to turn away as soon as the tears started rolling down my cheeks. I knew he hated it when I cried and I had no desire to have him freak out on me because he couldn't handle it. So I covered my face with my hands and said. "Just go Eric."

"I'm sorry." He was in front of me without making a sound and his long fingers wrapped around my wrists and pulled my hands down so he could see my face but I still turned my head to the ground. I felt his hand cup my chin and lift it up so I had no choice but to look at him and was shocked to see the look of shame in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. But I need you to know that I'm not just going to walk away and forget you. I can't do that."

"I can't do this right now." I told him, hating myself even more for liking all the things he was saying but I knew better then to trust him now. He hadn't proven anything to me and I wasn't in the right place tonight to deal with him. "Please go."

"Fine." His hands dropped away from me and I thought that he was going to just leave right then and there but he didn't. Instead, he moved in closer, not touching me but moving so close that I was forced back against the railing without any place to go. I felt his cold breath on my neck as he lifted the hair off my shoulder and pressed his lips to my ear as he whispered "You know I'm never going to give up on you right? I will never be able to stop loving you."

And then, just like that he was gone. Flashing off the porch in a gust of wind and down to the ground where he launched himself into the air and disappeared for good just like I had asked him to. I stood there for a minute just watching the patch of sky as though he was going to appear again but he didn't. And when another minute had passed and I was certain he wasn't going to return, I turned back to grab my cup of tea and headed towards the door. "I need to sleep this night off now."

But I never got the chance because just as I was 3 feet from the door, a pair of running feet came up from behind me without warning and before I could grab the door knob, a heavy hand came down on my shoulder and yanked me back out into the night as I screamed.


	5. Back Again

**Chapter 5 Back Again**

"Jesus Christ will you stop screaming, I'm not going to hurt you." The deep husky voice belonging to the heavy hand on my shoulder spoke and I whipped around, cutting myself on the broken shards of glass at my feet from when I had dropped my cup and stared at the man in front of me with wide eyes.

"Sam?" My mouth fell open slightly as I looked at my old friend for the first time in a month and never thought that I would see standing on my porch every again after the way we had parted last. But there he was, looking the same as he ever did except instead of a look of friendship, there was nothing warm in his eyes. I stepped back from him, wincing when the cut on my foot festered and said. "What the hell were you thinking sneaking up on me like that?"

"I wanted to catch you before you went inside." He answered back, sweeping the rest of the broken cup to the side with his boot before he moved forward towards me. "I heard the rumors that you were back and I had to come see for myself."

"Well you came, you saw and now you can..." I started to say but was interrupted by a gust of wind and the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the porch behind Sam and I looked over his shoulder to see Godric standing there in his typical white clothing, looking angelic and concerned. "Godric? What are you doing here?"

"I felt you fear just now and I had to respond. But you seem to be in no danger." He answered back, zipping up to us in a flash before he stood beside Sam and looked him over suspiciously. "You're the shifter?"

"I have a name..." Sam started to growl but he too was cut off by the sound of rushing wind and second pair of footsteps that this time came up behind me and when I turned around, my eyes widened again by the tall figure that stalked towards us.

"You too Eric?" I managed to say, silently cursing myself because there was no way this could turn out well. Two vampires, a shifter and a Faerie in the same space, oh that was just a recipe for trouble. "You had to show up as well?"

"When I left earlier, I wasn't too far away so I heard your scream." He replied, his blue eyes immediately going to the shorter vampire and he snarled. "Godric."

"Eric." Godric said back without even the slightest hint of waver in his voice despite the animosity between these two.

"What the fuck is this?" Sam exclaimed suddenly, turning to look at me in a look that could only be described as utter disgust. "I thought you were done with Northman and now he shows up to check on you? That doesn't sound like being done to me."

"Sam relax, nothing is..."

"And now yet another vampire shows up at your house as well. And don't tell me that doesn't mean anything either. Because you are just so good at lying, remember?" Sam rolled his eyes at me, showing that he had no intention of ever setting things right between us tonight. He just wanted to hurt me. "I guess I was right when I saw you in Mystic Falls. You never will learn your lesson."

"You bastard." Eric's fangs shot out in a flash as he moved forward like he was going to attack Sam, but Godric moved quicker and was pushing Eric back before he could even get near enough to harm anyone. "Godric, back off and let me kill him."

"No, I can't let you do that." He said, using that rarely used authority tone. He looked over his shoulder at Sam and said. "Unless you wish to die tonight by my child's hand then I would suggest you get out of here right now."

"Gladly." Sam snapped, sending the dirtiest look over at Eric who was still struggling against Godric's grip before he looked at me and simply shook his head. He still hated me, that much was obvious by the way he stepped off the porch and ran towards the dark tree line, leaving behind me with two vampires who looked like they now wanted to fight each other. But I didn't even really care about that right now. All that mattered was that once again, Sam had shown up out of nowhere and hurt me with his words and I felt nearly as bad as I did when he left Mystic Falls because he brought that same pain back to the forefront.

"Damn you Sam Merlotte." I sniffled, wiping at my eyes when they started to water and moved over to the railing so I could lean against it and pull a small piece of glass out of the bottom of my foot. As soon as it was out, the blood started flowing faster and as soon as I flicked the glass over into the bush, I pressed my hand over the cut to keep it from getting too bad. But it was just enough to stop both Eric and Godric from fighting and shoot their attention over to me.

"You're bleeding." Godric stated, dropping his hands from Eric and came over to me with a concerned look on his face. "And you're crying."

"It's not a big deal. Sam and I have issues that go back long before tonight." I told him, using my free hand to brush away another tear that had fallen while the blood started seeping through my fingers. "And it's just a cut, I've had worse injuries."

"You should still let it be healed." Godric stated, looking over at Eric before raising his arm as if he were going to draw blood from himself. "Here let me..."

"Oh no you don't." Eric hissed, flashing forward and grabbing his maker's wrist before it reached his mouth and yanked him away. "You're not giving her blood. She's mine, she will only take my blood."

"Eric don't turn this into another fight." Godric snapped, his normally peaceful eyes turning to slits as he glared at his progeny. "She's hurt and I'm just trying to help."

"She doesn't need your help, she has me." The viking protested, using his immense height to tower over his maker as if trying to intimidate him. "So back off."

"She's not your possession." Godric shot back, not looking at all worried that Eric was staring at him with a look that was so dark and evil that it would have scared anyone else. "She's a person."

"She's my person." Eric growled, getting right up in Godric's face so dangerously close that it was obvious they were going to fight right out here on my porch and I for one did not want to witness that.

"You two are ridiculous and I'm not watching this madness unfold. You're on your own. Good night." I snapped, dropping my foot down to the floor and doing my best to walk passed the two of them without limping. I ignored both of them when they moved to grab me and threw open my front door and stepped inside. I turned back around to find them both staring at me expectantly and I could only guess what they wanted me to do but I was not about to give in to their whims. "Don't expect an invite from me. You both are acting like children and I don't want to listen to it."

And I slammed the door in their shocked faces before stomping upstairs.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"So remind me again..." Eric forced himself to say as he turned away from the closed front door he had been staring at for quarter of an hour and looked at his maker who was still standing in the same position as he had been when Allison had stormed inside. "Why are you even here?"

"I thought I made that clear earlier." Godric turned his head up to meet his eye and as usual, his calm mask was back up. "I was checking up on Allison the same way you were. Except I felt her fear through our shared bond."

"I hate that you have a blood bond with her." Eric found himself spitting the words out. No matter how many times he said it, it still drove him insane with jealousy. He had always cherished the fact that it was him and him alone that had that kind of bond with her. And not only was that not true anymore, but the vampire in question who had done it was his own maker. And to make matters worse, he barely felt a flicker of his old bond with Allie, meaning his blood was almost all the way out of her system and he hated that. "I was supposed to be the only one."

"Hence why you didn't want me to heal her." Godric nodded, his arms crossing as he finally started moving backwards. "I wasn't trying to stake claim on her, I was merely trying to help her."

"And just like I told you before, she has me. She doesn't need you to defend her when she's in trouble." He snapped, following his maker down the steps and across the grass. "It's my job to protect her."

"And what if you're not always able to get to her when she needs your help and I'm the only one there? What then?" Godric asked, whipping around to face with frustration filling his young face. "If she's ever hurt and needs blood to heal, am I just supposed to stand by and refuse to help her? Just because you don't want any other vampire to give her blood. That's really childish Eric."

"It's not childish, it's what is right. I laid claim to her and she is mine. And I will always be around to save her. So back the fuck off." Eric ordered, not ready to back down from this stance. He didn't need his maker trying to cramp on his territory. "I don't want you near her."

"You have no say in that Eric, its up to her and she wants me around." Godric replied, pressing his lips together before rolling his eyes. "You may have claimed her but she is my friend too and I also care about her."

"Do not push me on this Godric." Eric warned his maker, his fists clenching at his sides. "Do not piss me off further by trying to take my spot in her life."

"I'm not trying to take your place in Allison's life and it's crazy for you to even think I would do that. I came back to make things right with you. I didn't come back to take her away from you." Godric said, his young features showing a flash of sorrow as he spoke but Eric was unmoved by it. "But if you don't stop being an asshole and start fighting for her, like really fighting for her, then someone else will take your place."

"You have a lot of nerve to say that to me." Eric found his entire body crackling with fury over what Godric was saying to him. Before his re-emergence, Godric had never been this verbal about his disgust with Eric's behavior on anything. But now things had changed and Eric didn't like it at all. "What makes you think I'm not fighting for her?"

"You're not too observant my child." Godric smirked, an amused expression in his eyes as they faced each other. "Because I saw the look on her face when she went inside. And that is the look of a woman who is not at all happy with your efforts."

"You are so annoying since you returned." Eric hissed, his entire body tightening the longer he stood there with his maker. "I really hate you. You know that?"

"No you don't." Godric shook his head with determination, certainty in his eyes as he started walking away towards the dirt road. But before he left, he looked over his shoulder and said. "You're only saying that because you're acting like a brat."

Eric's mouth fell open at this sudden and unexpected statement from his maker before Godric took off down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in his trail.

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"See? This is why mom and dad always distracted me when I got a cut as a child. I do not have a high tolerance for pain." I grumbled to myself as I hobbled out of the bathroom after taking a shower and dressing in a tank top and shorts and went to my chair so I could put a new bandage on my foot. As soon as I had started walking, the cut had opened up again and was dripping blood on my wood floor as I hurried to stop it. I had barely sat down and went to grab the small first aid kit when I heard a gust of wind outside my open window and looked up with a groan to see a familiar face. "I thought I told you to go away."

"That was hours ago, I figured you would have changed your mind by now." Eric said back with a smirk as he hovered in the air and watched me with his arms crossed. I tried to ignore him as I started cleaning the cut with an alcohol swab only to wince and have him say. "Invite me in and I'll heal that for you."

"No thank you. I don't always need your blood to fix me." I shot back, biting my lip and hissing in pain as a sharp throb came over me and I groaned. "I will never take your blood again."

"Empty threats." He shook his head and set his hands on the window sill and leaned closer. "Just let me in and save yourself the aggravation."

"Why don't you just fuck...owww!" I grabbed my foot when I moved it the wrong way and the cut opened up just a little bit more which turned out to be a big mistake because now blood was flowing again more strongly then before. I opened my eyes with my hands still clenched and reluctantly said. "Ok, fine. You can come in Eric Northman."

"See? I told you it was an empty threat." He retorted, folding his long body to climb through my window before he landed on the floor without so much as a tiny thud as he stood there up to his full height and grinned. It was only a second later before he was on his knees in front of me and wrapping his hand around my ankle and turning my leg up so the bottom of my foot was facing his eyes. He looked at me before extending his fangs and puncturing the tip of his finger with the point of it before the blood appeared and then he proceeded to rub his finger in the cut, around the edge and down the middle, causing me to squirm and moan sharply. But then a minute later I was watching the cut close and then heal until there was more evidence that there had even been a wound in the first place. Eric smirked, releasing my ankle and standing up. "You're welcome."

"You insisted on doing it so I won't thank you." I narrowed my eyes as I got to my feet and nodded to the window. "You can go back to whatever you were doing before you showed up."

"You forget, I was coming to see you in the first place." He replied, not making any move to go back out through the window and leaving me alone for once. Instead he took a seat on the edge of my bed and set his hands on his knees, for once not wearing his black leather jacket. "I wanted to talk to you. I had something to say before I left you for the night."

"Then say it so you can get out of here."

"I was serious before when I said I wanted you back. I've never been more serious about anything." He said bluntly, his answer taking me by surprise that I actually forgot that I wanted him to leave and stepped closer. "I know I messed up but I realize what I want and I want you. And I'm sorry for hurting you."

"Eric, it's going to take more then an apology to fix everything." I told him with a sigh, not wanting to have this conversation this late at night when I had already been shaken up emotional. But he brought it up and I might as well be honest. " And even if it did, I may not want it to happen."

"What do you mean" He frowned, his beautiful face going dark as my answer already displeased him. And then it was like something went off in his head and he asked. "Is it because of that asshole Damon you met while you were gone?"

"I did come to care about Damon because he was there when you broke my heart and it was him who picked up the pieces when you left me shattered. So he will always mean something to me." I explained, thinking about how bad off I was when I first got to Mystic Falls and how although Damon and I had parted on not good terms, he had still healed my broken heart. And I could never forget him. I looked at Eric. "But he is not the reason I'm uncertain about being with you. You make me uncertain and I don't know if I can trust you."

"You can trust me."

"Can I? Can I trust you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him as I tugged my damp hair over my shoulders and ran my fingers through the long strands. "You have to prove that to me. You need to prove that you are serious this time or else don't bother. I can always find someone else who wants me."

I had started to move away when Eric's hand shot out and wrapped around my upper arm, tugging me forward until I was standing in front of him. Or more accurately, standing between his legs while his hands gripped my waist and forced me to stay where I was no matter how much I tried to move back away from him. When it was clear that I couldn't escape until he had said his part, I look up and met his eyes, his face much closer then I would have liked. And i could feel his breath when he spoke again.

"I want you. And you know that." He said in such a tender way that was so unlike him that I started getting teary eyes again and had to hide my face so he wouldn't get mad about seeing me cry. But just like before, he pulled my arms down and cupped my chin, leaving me no choice but to meet his eyes. "I do want you Allison. Don't you know that?"

"I thought that before and you ended up calling out Sookie's name instead of mine. So no. I don't know." I managed to say, going to move my hands so I could wipe my face but he beat me to it and his fingers were wiping them away faster then they fell. When I had stopped crying for the moment he dropped his hands down until they were cupping my face and I saw him smile.

"I'll make you believe it again someday." He told me this with such certainty that I found myself losing control again and the tears ran down my face like a river for what felt like the millionth time that night. Eric moved as if to wipe them away but I shook my head and stepped back, not convinced that this was for real.

"You really hurt me Eric." I told him, my voice wavering but I was able to get it out and sound coherent. I didn't want to sound weak in front of this strong vampire. "You broke me so bad."

"I know." He nodded, standing up and stepping up to me with the most serious look on his face that looked so out of place for someone like him. But it was his voice that sounded certain and sure. "I know I hurt you. And I will spend the rest of my immortal life making it up to you. But I know I can never truly take away the pain my mistakes have caused you. But I swear to you that I will never stop trying."

Eric then reached out for my face cupping my cheeks and before I could stop him, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead strongly. And then just like that, he was out my window and disappearing into the night sky leaving me stunned.


	6. Don't you remember

**Chapter 6 Don't you remember **

_3 days later_

"This would have been a much better night if I had just been able to follow through and gotten laid." Eric growled to himself as he locked the front door of his light tight house and wiped at his blood stained mouth with the back of his hand as he headed into the kitchen to seek out a bottle of blood in the hopes to curb his maniac thoughts. But even as he grabbed the first bottle that he saw and chugged it back without stopping, it still did nothing to distract him from the reason why he was agitated on this early morning. And as he slammed the bottle on the counter, he couldn't help but snap at himself. "Damn my thoughts, they betray me time and time again."

Eric hated that he was slowly becoming the kind of vampire he did not recognize and at first the change had been so gradual that he never noticed it was happening until something big happened to shock him about his behavior. And it was this night that did it for him. It had been a few nights since he had visited Allison in her bedroom and confessed to her that he wanted her back with him and since then he had avoided going out of his way to see her so he could give her space. But if he were really being honest with himself, it was mostly in the hopes that the time away would erase her from his memories so he could go back to his normal routine. And as always it never went that way because his subconscious told him that wasn't what he truly wanted. He didn't want to just go around from woman to woman, feeding on them and having sex with them just in an attempt to forget Allison. He wanted her to be the one he fed from and made love to. She was the only one and he hated that he had become that. He hated that he went from a womanizing, playboy vampire who could have any girl he wanted and now was the vampire who only wanted one girl who wouldn't come back to him. If it were up to him, she would have been back in his bed long ago and those other women wouldn't have mattered. But he couldn't have what he wanted and he had needs to take care of. So he sought out the willing fang bangers who would allow him to feed on them and then stay with him for the night for intimacy. But when it came down to the act, he found himself unable to go through with it. His thoughts always turned to Allison and how he had never felt more alive then he did when he was hearing her soft moans as he ravished her body night after night. Or how it almost felt like his still heart was beating again as he felt hers when she lay on top of him. Or how whenever she had achieved the ultimate pleasure, she would always look at him and say she loved him. That was what kept him from fucking these other women senseless. Because he would never hear those words come out of their mouths and it was the one thing he longed to hear. So night after night, he would come home after feeding on anyone he pleased and sulk about the nights he missed with the one person he wished he could be spending this time with.

_Flashback_

_"Oh my god can you just wander around the house like that all the time?" Allison asked slyly, running her fingers across the waistband of his boxers as she walked behind him in the dimly lit kitchen and hopped up on a stool across from him. "You look so hot like this."_

_"Only if you promise to wear only that while you're in my house. Then we have a deal." He smirked, his words and wandering eyes making her blush as he checked her out with her wearing nothing but a black lace bra and matching panties that made him want to just throw her on the table and ravish her. He caught her eye and grinned. "Damn you are such a goddess."_

_"Stop it." She protested, setting down the bowl of pasta she was eating and covered her flaming cheeks with her hands and shook her loose hair wildly. "I am so not on the same level as all those other women you've been with."_

_"You're right, you're not. Because you're levels above them and I wouldn't have it any other way." Eric told her honestly, seeing her face turn even redder between her fingers and it made him feel good to know his compliments got to her like that. But it also amazed him that she didn't quite believe in her beauty the way everyone else did and there was something so fresh and innocent about it and that him fall even more in love with her then he already was. "You are so beautiful."_

_"You're biased." She replied with a shrug but she dropped her hands away from her face and he was glad to see that shy smile of hers back on her face. "But thank you anyway. It's always nice to hear that from you."_

_"I only speak the truth." He stated, getting up from where he leaned against the counter and walked over to her, his hands circling around her waist as his lips found her shoulder and kissed the delicate skin there. "You are beautiful and I love every part of you."_

_"You are so sweet when you want to be." She laughed, turning herself around on the stool and wrapped her arms around his midsection and drew him close before looking up with a shy look. "Want to show me how sweet you can be upstairs in your bed?"_

_"Who says we have to go upstairs?"He grinned suggestively, nodding behind her to the counter before grabbed her by the hips and hoisting her up there before she could protest. "Why not here?"_

_"Are you serious?" She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders as his fingers traveled up her back. "In the kitchen, on the counter?"_

_"Why not? It's like anyone uses this room anyway." He told her, his cold fingers chilling her skin as they moved over her body in a tantalizing way._

_"Good point. Ok, let's do it." She smiled at him just as his hand reached up to rip the bra off of her body..._

"Ok good, you're smiling. I've obviously caught you in a good moment." Godric's voice broke him out of his flashback and he looked up to find his maker standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a hopeful look on his face.

"You just interrupted a very good flashback, so I'm not in a good mood now." Eric growled, all thoughts of a naked Allison disappearing from his mind as his focus was on the one person he did not want to see. "Go away so I can get back to it."

"So you were thinking about Allison." Godric pointed out with a smirk as he walked into the room and leaned against the counter. "Don't forget that I can sense your emotions and I can usually take a guess at what you're thinking about."

"Ok, you made your point, I was thinking about her." Eric confessed, a small smile taking over his face as he said this, but it was quickly erased when he looked at Godric again. "But I'm curious, why exactly are you here?"

"I came here so we can sort out our issues." Godric confessed, his face taking on a serious expression. "I want us to be able to talk about this Eric."

"Well I don't want to." He snapped back at his maker, standing up straight and pointed to the doorway. "Now leave. I don't feel like dealing with you right now."

"Sorry Eric, but I can't leave now." Godric countered with a wicked little smirk that was unnatural on his peaceful features. "You see, it's almost dawn, the sun will be up very soon. Too soon for me to find shelter. And unless you want me to burn then it looks like I am stuck here until nightfall."

"You planned this." Eric found himself filling up with fury as it became very evident that his maker had planned on coming to see him at this exact time. "You made sure to come here just as the sun was about to rise to ensure you would have no choice but to stay here for the day until the sun went down again. You knew I would never try and order you out at sunrise."

"Exactly." Godric nodded, taking a seat on one of the stools and clasped his hands together. "So it looks like we are spending the day together."

"Oh hell no." Eric said furious and stomped away out of the room while Godric's laughter echoed in the room behind him.

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"He's very angry with me but his anger will pass. It always does." Godric whispered to himself as he sat on one of the couches in the library of Eric's house and stared into the roaring fireplace as if he were actually talking to someone. "At least eventually it does. With Eric, you never know."

Godric knew that when he made the decision to come to see Eric that his choice would not be met with the same enthusiasm as he himself was feeling. In fact, he had prepared himself for a much worse reaction then the one he had gotten. He knew when Eric was emotionally unstable that he sometimes did or said things that he later wanted to take back. So he was readying himself for the inevitable reaction of Eric throwing him out in to the early morning to find his own shelter. But Eric surprised him when he did not offer up that much resistance and simply settled for leaving the room and hiding somewhere in the many rooms of this house while Godric had settled here in the library to stare at the flames for the past 60 minutes. And the longer he stared at the fire, the more relaxed he became and therefore it was him who slipped into a memory.

A memory of something he wished he could take back.

_Flashback_

_"Godric." Eric's voice spoke up from behind him as the taller vampire came up the stairs and joined him on the rooftop of the hotel, standing in the dark with his body facing the horizon anticipating the sun's arrival. "I came here just like you asked."_

_"Thank you. You always did what I asked of you. It's what makes you such a loyal progeny." Godric replied with a smile as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned away to look up at his child. The former viking, normally so strong and powerful and intimidating was now looking weak and scared and fearful. And rightfully so. Eric knew what was going to be asked of him next and he wasn't going to like it. "Eric, you..."_

_"Don't Godric. Just...don't." Eric's face filled with an unending amount of sorrow just then as he stood there with his hands clenched at his sides. "I know what you are going to ask me to do and I can't do it. So don't ask me to do it."_

_"I have to Eric. It's what I want." Godric told him gently, hating that he was bringing his child such pain and anguish with his decision. But as much as he didn't want to do that to his progeny, it didn't erase his desire to end his life. He wasn't meant for this world. He wasn't here for a reason. If there was a reason for him to remain then he would have stepped back into the shadows, but there was none. It was his time to go and Eric needed to know that. "I need you to let me go."_

_"No." Eric replied simply, shaking his end with a finality that he seemed to think would end this conversation but really it was just starting it. "You're not doing this. I won't let you."_

_"You don't have a choice in the matter my child. If it is my desire to meet the sun, then you have no way of stopping me. I could simply order you away right now instead of allowing you the chance to say goodbye." Godric pointed out, reminding him who the maker was in this relationship. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't truly believe it was right."_

_"But it's not right!" Eric voice sounded wounded, like he had been shot by many rounds of silver and was on the verge of collapse but was still fighting through the pain. "You don't need to do this. You don't have to end your life."_

_"What life? I have no life here, Eric. Not anymore." Godric sighed, desperate to make his child understand his reasoning behind his action. He had no purpose, no desire to live anymore. So why should he continue on? Why should he remain here? "I live in darkness and my actions have put those closest to me in danger, including you. I do not want to exist anymore. Not like this. I want to die."_

_"Godric no..."_

_"It's time Eric...It's my time to go.."_

"Why the hell are you sitting in front of the fire and daydreaming?" Eric's voice cut through his thoughts harshly and Godric turned his head to see his child standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and the same annoyed look that had been there when they parted in the kitchen.

"I'm not day dreaming, I was remembering." Godric stated, stopping himself from rolling his eyes like a newborn and turned back around. "I was experiencing a flashback just as you were."

"Of what? The good old days." Eric snickered, his face as full of fury as it ever was and Godric understood that he deserved it for keeping his existence a secret for as long as he did. "Reminiscing about how we used to be close before you screwed up?"

"None of that." Godric shook his head, his eyes never leaving the flames and he wondered if that's how it had been like for Sookie when she watched him burn. "I was remembering the conversation we had the morning before I met the sun. When we stood up on that rooftop and you begged me not to do it. That's what I was thinking about."

"Yea, I remember. I wish I didn't but I do." Eric's voice lost all its hardness the moment Godric mentioned that morning and Eric dropped his long frame into a nearby arm chair and leaned forward with his arms on his knees. It was another few minutes before their eyes met again and when they did, Eric asked. "Do you wish there hadn't been a curse on your soul and you were able to meet the true death?"

"In the moments when you really despise me..." Godric sighed, knowing his answer wasn't going to be welcomed with a good reaction but he wanted to be honest. "Then yes, I do wish I had been finished off."

"You're an idiot." Eric growled before getting up and leaving the room again while Godric just shook his head and wondered when living this new life would stop being so hard.

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"If I could just have one full day without any drama then that would be great." I said to myself as I threw my body down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling with my hair pulled over my shoulders and my legs dangling over the side of the mattress. I had been having a fairly good morning so far but with my luck and history I knew that wouldn't last. At least not once night came. Because once the sun was gone, it would only be a matter of time before that familiar blonde head was appearing at my window and right now I was not in the mood to deal with Eric's presence, especially when he was so out of sorts with Godric.

But he wasn't always like that. Don't get me wrong, Eric had always been unpredictable, violent and a total asshole, but that was just his nature and that was how he was always going to be. But beneath the bad attitude and tendency towards having a short fuse, he actually had been quite wonderful to me. Sure he had his moments when he lost it and lashed out, but I had too, maybe not to the degree that Eric often did but I understood it. And even his worse times didn't erase his good moments. Granted a lot of those good times still ended up with him teasing me and being his typical self. But there was one time in particular that stood out to me. One time where before everything bad come crashing down between him and I, at a time when it felt like just the two of us were in the world and everything was peaceful. It was a moment when I honestly thought I would never be with anyone else besides him.

_Flashback_

_"Stop it." I felt a pair of fingers traveling up my bare back as I fought to stay asleep in the big comfortable bed. I pushed the hands away and cuddled down deeper into the snow white sheets, but his fingers just went back to my spine, ticking me every time his hands touched my bare skin. "Eric, quit it. I'm being serious here. Stop it."_

_"Why should I?" His voice sounded innocent enough but I knew him, and there was most likely a smirk on his face as he continued to tickle me. "I just have something to say to you."_

_"What's that?" I gave up on being able to go back to sleep and turned over in bed so I could face him, only to find the blonde former Viking staring down at me from where he had propped himself up on his elbow. I couldn't help but smile when my eyes landed on his beautiful face with it's stray piece of hair hanging over his forehead that I couldn't help but reach over to brush back. I smiled again and laid back before asking. "Ok, what was it that you wanted to say?"_

_"Just that...I love you." His words sounding so foreign because he had only ever said it to me once and that was when I had been very near death and he wasn't thinking I would hear it. And even when I asked him about it that night in the woods, he just confirmed it. So to hear it now was just mind boggling but it was just so sincere and one look at his face added to that certainty. I sat up against the head board with the sheets tucked under my arms just as Eric reached out and pressed his hand against my cheek. "I mean that. I love you."_

_"I love you too." I replied, ducking my head just quick enough against his shoulder so he wouldn't see me cry but he still knew and he laughed before snaking one of his arms behind me and wrapping it around my waist and pulled me close to him. "You are truly amazing Eric Northman."_

_"No, not really. I'm just a vampire, you're the amazing one." He told me, his chin resting on the top of my head as we laid there in his bed not saying a word for a while. And then I could hear him sigh before saying thoughtfully. "How could I have gone a thousand years and never known the kind of happiness I know when I'm with you?"_

_"Oh Eric." I tilted my head back and placed my hand on his face to direct his lips down to mine for a brief kiss. When he pulled back and met my eyes, I smiled never feeling more at peace then I was at this moment. "You'll never have to go another year and think that."_

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that day<span>_

"Can you stop stop staring at me already?" Eric's annoyed voice snapped at him as Godric stood in the doorway of the expansive living room and watched his child as he sat there and stared at the fireplace just as he had done hours earlier."I can feel your eyes in the back of my head and it's pissing me off."

"Everything pisses you off these days." Godric stated, sticking his hands in his pockets and wandered into the living room and stood to the side of the long couch Eric was sitting on and looked at his progeny with curiosity. "But I don't think it just pertains to me."

"Oh no it's all about you." Eris hissed, throwing him a dirty look before setting his attention forward again with his arms crossed like a child who was only seconds away from throwing a tantrum. "Ever since you came back it's just one big anger cloud hanging over me."

"You were angry before I came back, so don't blame it on me." Godric retorted, pressing his lips together tightly to refrain from saying something he would later regret. He prided himself on being able to maintain his composure and stay calm all the time, but even he had a breaking point and he had reached the point where he was feeling like he was being pushed over the edge. And yet, he still tried to push back. "Is is it about Allison? Has she not forgiven you yet and that's why you are so volatile?"

"Do not mention her to me. I don't want to hear you say her name." Eric snapped, his blue eyes flashing his fury right across the room. "It's bad enough that you have a bond with her that I wish I still had. But listening to you talk like you understand the situation is just not something I have any desire to hear."

"But I do understand the situation Eric. She told me about it when she was still in Mystic Falls. So I understand it." Godric explained, knowing he was treading on dangerous ground right now but he still pushed ahead. "If you would just give me a chance, I could help you get her back..."

"I don't want your help." Eric shouted, his head whipping to the side in a blur. "I haven't needed your help for a long time."

"I know you're capable of doing this on your own. But I just thought..."

"Don't just think. You're not very good at that." Eric muttered, locking his eyes on the floor. "You never think. Especially not when it comes to important things like telling me you were still alive."

Godric stood there for the longest time just watching Eric as he had never watched him before. He had gone through so many years with his progeny, through war and death and the evolution of the world. And yet here they were, constantly fighting and bickering like children instead of celebrating that he had gotten a second chance to come back to Eric. Godric sighed and moved around so he could sit down on the opposite end of the couch from Eric before speaking to the small fear he had ever since he came back.

"Do you hate me?" He asked,staring straight ahead at the fire just as Eric was doing until his child spoke up but his answer that came out was one that Godric was not expecting.

"No." Eric was shaking his head even though he still looked furious. "I don't hate you. I hate what you did. I hate that you didn't tell me what was going on. I hate not knowing that I could have done something long before now. I hate being left in the dark. But no, I don't hate you. I'm just incredibly angry with you."

"I deserve that. I have brought you pain too great for words." Godric nodded, knowing that his actions could have been taken on a different course and it was his choice not to go there. "I wish it were an easier road to gain back your forgiveness but I will accept whatever comes."

"Do you hate me for not forgiving you right away?" Eric asked, leaning forward on his knees and turning his head.

"Of course not. You are allowed to be stubborn over this. It's what I deserve." Godric told him, making sure he got the point that there would never be hatred between them from either side. They may get angry and they may be away from each other for up to years at a time. But there would never be hate. Godric looked at Eric with gentle eyes and said. "You're my son. To hate you would be to hate myself. I could never use that word when it comes to you."

Eric simply nodded and the two of them fell into silence and watched the fire, neither knowing of this was the start of any kind of progress.

* * *

><p><em><span>Flashback<span>_

_"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Eric asked the brunette as she sat on the opposite side of the tub from him with her knees drawn up to her bare chest and her vivid green eyes watching him with this carefree expression in their depths. She had been doing that all night and it had never been more evident then when they had gotten into the tub together and were now sitting at either end of it looking at each other. "Seriously, why are you staring at me like you want to say something?"_

_"Can't I just stare at the man that I love without there being a reason?" She asked, raising her hand and flicking a stream of water at him as she set her chin on her knees with a smile. "Can't I just bask in the fact that you chose me out of every other woman on the planet to be with? Do you have any idea how incredibly empowering that is? That someone like you could want someone like me?"_

_"Come here." He said, reaching out for her hand and taking it so he could pull her through the water into his arms. She came to him willingly, settling her delicate back against his broad chest and pulling his arms around her so they were as tightly pressed together as they could be. Once she laid her head against his shoulder, he spoke again. "I'm the lucky one to have been chosen by you. A beautiful woman who could have had any man she wanted and instead chose an ass hole vampire as her first lover. You know I love you, but there were more deserving men or even vampires who would have treated you better then I ever could."_

_"I wouldn't have wanted any of them." She whispered, her fingers circling his wrists and she turned her head to press her warm lips against his neck. "I wanted you and I got you."_

_"Maybe you should have chosen someone else. I'm not exactly the best candidate to be with a girl like you." Eric told her and he knew his words were true. At least to him they were. He knew who he was and he knew that he did not have a tendency to change his habits very easily. He was always going to be an asshole. He was always going to have a short fuse and would always be lashing out and not always in the best of ways. He would always say the wrong thing at the wrong time. He was selfish and mean and egotistical and completely wrong for the girl he was holding in his arms. He knew he didn't deserve her, he just wanted her and against all odds he fell in love with her. It didn't matter if he wasn't the best thing for her, he had her and he wasn't letting her go. But it didn't stop the flurry of doubt in his head. "I'm the bad guy Allison. You know as well as I do that I rarely do the right thing. And when I do, it is usually without thinking it through and making sacrifices that weren't necessary in the first place. I'm not deserving of someone like you."_

_"I don't think that is up to you to decide. That's my choice and I knew what I was getting into when I got involved with you and it didn't matter to me. Because even though you can't see it in yourself, I can." She said, turning in his arms so she was straddling his waist and she placed both her hands on either side of his face. "You may not believe it but I do."_

_"Believe what?" He reached out for a piece of her hair, his long fingers twirling the long wet strand around and around as their eyes locked together._

_"You are a much better person then you give yourself credit for Eric Northman." She smiled at him with all the innocence of a child who didn't know know enough of the world to be unsure of it. But she wasn't uncertain, she was completely sure as she looked at him. "I see the good in you and you are not the monster that you pretend to be. Deep down you are so much more then the bad guy you think you are. You are capable of loving me and that just proves how human you still are. A monster would not be able to do that. A monster would not be sitting here with me, pouring regrets about my choices. If you were as bad as you say, then you would be out causing havoc and you're not. And you know why? Because you're better then that."_

_"Thank you." He said, cupping her chin in his palm and leaning forward to kiss her, thankful that the universe had sent her to him. She saw the good in him that he failed to see in himself and he could only hope that he never lost her._

* * *

><p><em><span>Nightfall<span>_

"Goodbye Eric. One day we're going to find out way back to each other. In our own time." Godric said up at the house as he exited the front door and made his way across the now dark lawn towards the driveway. He had left as soon as the sun had gone down behind the trees and he didn't even bother seeking out Eric. He knew it was for the best and that Eric needed his time alone. So he left the house and was going to head back to his own but not before looking back over his shoulder one last time.

If this day had taught him anything it was that there was still hope left for him and Eric to regain their bond from before. It wasn't going to happen fast and it may take longer then he would like. But it was going to happen, he was sure of it. Eric may be going through the motions of acting out his anger in ways that he didn't like, but in the end it was going to be worth it because they would come out on the other end of this obstacle stronger then they ever had. Their past had taught them that. They had plenty of time in their thousand years together where they had to suffer through roadblocks and hurdles only for it to change them for the better. And Godric was certain this was going to end up going the same way. It had to. They had too many years and too much history to throw it away now. Eric was his child and that was a bond he was refusing to give up on.

"In time Eric. In time." And then he turned back to the road and in a flash, he was gone.


	7. Return to hell house

**Chapter 7 Return to hell house**

"So I think we should talk about the wedding." Sookie said to me a few days later as we were walking along the hiking trail in the woods behind our house and she turned to look at me with a smile that I didn't believe was entirely innocent. "I mean, it's coming up in just a few weeks and besides the occasional conversation we have had about the planning, we haven't really just talked..you know with the two of us."

"Well, what do you want to talk about exactly?" I asked, tucking my hands under my arms as a crisp wind picked up and blew my hair out behind me. "Is it just a general discussion or is it about something specific?"

"How did you know?" Sookie demanded, pausing in the middle of the trail and grabbing my arm. "Did you read my mind?"

"I didn't have to, it's all over your face." I point outed and ii had to laugh when she actually reached up and touched her mouth only to feel a wide spread smirk there and she cringed. I laughed at her bewildered expression and said. "You obviously have something to say so just say it."

"Alright fine." She relented, dropping her arms before she looked at me. "Are you going to bring any one to the wedding?"

"Oh wow, I actually hadn't even thought of that." I stated, hoping my response didn't hurt her feelings by suggesting I had never thought of her wedding, because that was not true at all. Even when I had been in Mystic Falls I had been thinking or her and Bill and their impending marriage. But with everything that had been going on the last week or so, it just hadn't occurred to me to think of bringing a date when they finally tied the knot. And to be honestly, I didn't really care of I was there with someone. It wasn't about me. " No, I probably won't bring anyone."

"Oh come on. You can't go to a wedding and not have a date." Sookie shook her head and I knew she was laughing at me even if she wasn't making any noise. "Why don't you just bite the bullet and ask Eric? You know he would jump at the chance to be anywhere near you, especially if you were the one to initiate it. Or even go for the long shot and call up Damon. You guys had a thing going for a while. Either one of them would be good."

"First off I cannot believe you are encouraging me to bring a vampire as my date to your wedding." I giggled in disbelief at her suggestion. She had always managed to take me by surprise with the most random rants. "And further more, you hate Eric so its shocking that you would suggest him. And you don't even know Damon. So I don't think either of them will be good candidates."

"But you need to have someone with you. You can't just go alone." Sookie protested as we began to walk again. "Why won't you take one of them?"

"I will explain it to you in the same way I explained it to myself. And its for good reasoning." I assured her, my fingers tugging on my long strands so they wouldn't fly across my face. "I will not have Eric be my date because he is too much to deal with right now and we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of making any real progress. So I can't even think about asking him."

"And Damon?"

"Well, Damon is entirely different story. And not just because he's in another state." I sighed, not liking the memory of how we had parted last month. I wasn't sad or mad at him at all. I understood why he had said what he said and I didn't take his words to heart because I knew they were just bullshit. I saw it in his eyes that he cared about me, he just couldn't say it and that was ok. That was his choice and he was sticking by it. "I won't ask Damon because he doesn't do the serious thing. And serious to him would be asking him to be my date to the wedding. So no, not going to happen."

"I just can't imagine going to an event like a wedding and being by myself." Sookie mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. "But then again, you have always been different when it comes to things like that."

"Yea, that's tru...oh my god!" I exclaimed, reaching out for my cousin's arm as I had the definition of a light bulb moment and I turned to her with a grin. "I know who I'll bring."

"Really?" Sookie's face lit up with excitement when I said this and I'm sure at any minute she would start jumping up and down and clapping her hands. "Who?"

"Godric!" I wanted to hit myself for not thinking of it sooner. Just because I didn't want a romantic date didn't mean I couldn't have a friendly date with someone who was actually a very good friend to me. And Godric totally fit the bill. "It's perfect. He's nice, a complete gentleman, and I would have fun with him. And I need fun."

"Oh I totally agree." Sookie nodded, showing me that she agreed with my logic and that she thought it was a good idea, but what she said next contrasted that. "But what is Eric going to say when he finds out you're taking his maker to my wedding?"

"Honestly?" I shrugged, not at all worried about what Eric was going to say or do when he heard about this. Eric wasn't my concern right now. "I really don't care what his reaction is."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Hookah,hookah, hookah. Look at you smiling like you just won the lottery." Lafayette's joyful voice called out to Sookie from the kitchen as she walked onto the main floor at Merlotte's and spotted her friend waving at her with a spatula in his had as she walked over. "Bitch, why are you so happy? And whatever it is, you better share the wealth."

"Well hello to you too." She answered back with a grin as stood at the open window to the kitchen to talk to him. "And there is no reason that I'm happy except for the same reason it was the last time. You know very well the wedding is coming up in just a few weeks."

"How could I forget? That's all you ever talk about these days now that your cousin is back home." He pointed out as he turned his body back to the stove to pay attention to the four different things he was cooking. " So you're actually going to go through with this whole thing with Bill?"

"Yes I am and I know where you are going with this but I'm going to squash your fears by assuring you that I have no doubts about marrying him. It's what I want." She told him with a smile, touched that he would look out for her enough to make sure she was certain about her choice. But she had known for a long time that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Bill, and in 4 weeks, it was finally going to happen. "So don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Good thing, because I would have had no problem stopping the whole ceremony if I thought you weren't sure." Lafayette said so seriously that she knew he wasn't kidding around. But his face then relaxed and he asked with a smile. "So how's Allie doing these days? I haven't talked to her in while."

"She's doing good and she's happy to be home. I think the time away did her a lot of good. She was pretty messed up there for a while." Sookie said softly, not wanting to remember how sad her cousin had been just a few months ago. It had been hard enough to know it was because of her that Allie had fled Bon Temps, but to remember the way she had looked the days after it all happened was just too painful and Sookie just wanted to put it away. Allison was moving past it despite the pain that still lingered in her eyes. "But she's definitely changed for the better, so I think the break from our crazy little town was good."

"Wish I could get away for a few months but unfortunately I'm stuck here with the increasingly angry Sam Merlotte." He said, shaking his head and reaching down to turn off the burner before coming over to the window. "He's been on such a tightrope lately. One minute he's up and the other minute he is freaking out on everyone. What's that about?"

"It's a long story and I would explain it to you now, but I have to go see Sam to pick up my check." Sookie grimaced as she said this, wishing she didn't have to deal with him, but she didn't have much of a choice. She needed to deposit her check so she could she pay her bills. She would just go to his office and ask for it and get out as quickly as possible. She stepped back from the window and raised her eyebrows. "Wish me luck."

"Girl you don't need luck, you need a damn body guard." Lafayette's voice called out to her as she turned and walked across the floor to the doorway that led to the back.

She wasn't going to lie, she was nervous about seeing Sam. Things had been tense ever since she had found out about his visit with Allie and it took all she had not to yell at him every time she came in to work, But this was going to be different. She wouldn't mention any of the crap that had been said between them and would simply go to his office and get what she came here for. And it would all be ok. She kept saying this as she reached the end of the hallway and saw that his door was open and she could hear him shuffling through the file cabinet. She took a deep breath and reached out and knocked on the door to let him know she was there.

"Hey Sam." She said, keeping her voice as steady as she could as she took a step into the room and faced her boss with what she hoped was a neutral expression on her face. "I just came for my check."

"Yea I figure you would be by soon so I pulled it out for you." He said just as calm as she did and he turned to his desk to pluck the envelope off a stack of books and handed it to her. "Here."

"Thank you." She replied, taking it and folding it into her back pocket. She stood there awkwardly for a minute, wondering if she should say something but then she decided against it and stared moving backwards. "Well, I guess I'll be going.."

"Wait. I think we should talk." He blurted out before she could flee from the office and she silently cursed herself for not escaping faster. She really did not want to have this conversation but apparently he did. And she couldn't very well just run out after he had spoken. So she turned her head up to look at him and saw that he was staring at her with a determined look. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I want us to smooth things over once and for all. Let's just put all this behind us."

"Look, I don't want to have another fight so I'm just going to say this as nicely and as calmly as I can." She replied, tucking her hair behind her ears before saying. "I don't think we can get passed this at the moment. So it might be best to let things cool down and then we can talk."

"I don't see why we can't talk about this now." Sam frowned, his hands gripping his waist as he looked at her. "I just worry that the more time that goes by the less likely we will be able to fix this."

"See, that's the thing. I don't think it can be fixed." She pointed out, not even having to look into his head to know his thoughts were frantic. "Especially not when you hurt Allie for no reason at all. Do you see where I'm coming from?"

"I do and I'm sorry about hurting her and for the things I said. You have no idea how sorry I am." Sam told her, his head hanging down low and he did indeed look like he felt ashamed of himself. But it didn't make Sookie forget the hurt he had inflicted on Allie not just once but twice this year alone. And it was big pain. "I know I screw up a lot but I regret my actions every single time. Please just give me a chance to fix it."

"Right now, things are at a standstill and I don't see it changing anytime soon." She shook her head, knowing it wasn't what he wanted to hear but it was the truth and she wasn't ready to challenge it anytime soon. That's just how it is and Sam had to accept that. "I'm sorry, but you made your choice and now I'm making mine."

And with that said, she turned on her heels and walked out of the office without saying another word to him. Someday there would be a moment for them to sort all this out. But that day was not today.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Ok, this day is going to be good. Nothing is going to go wrong." I told myself as I stood inside the kitchen and sorted out my laundry and folded them into piles like I had been doing since Sookie left to go run some errands. I had decided to stick around home today to avoid having to come into contact with people I did not really care to talk to right now. Mainly, the nosy neighbors and townspeople of Bon Temps.

I knew that my return home was going to create a stir but I never thought people would be so damn curious when I got back. I had only been back for over a week and the neighbors were constantly knocking on the door, pretending like they were just stopping by to say hello when really they wanted to pump me for information and I had no desire to give it. But that didn't stop the next wave of people coming around hoping I would tell them where I had been for the past few months. Everyone was so damn pushy about it. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised considering I had left pretty much without notice. Only Sookie, Sam, Eric and Bill had known I was leaving town and everyone else had learned through someone else that I was gone. And when something like that happens around here, there is always talk and gossip, even more so then usual. So this was what I should have expected when I made my return, but I had been so busy trying to rebuild my relationships with those I had left behind, that I hadn't had time to think of the gossipy neighbors. But despite that, I was determined that this day was going to be nice and normal and there would be no drama. As long as I stuck close to home then maybe I could pretend that everything was alright.

But as usual, I should have known nothing would ever be normal and calm. And that was evident by the sudden arrival of footsteps that walked into the kitchen.

"Sam! What the hell? You almost gave me a heart attack." I shouted at him, clutching my hands to my heart as my surprise at seeing him and not some psycho resonated inside me and I actually had to grab the back of a chair to steady myself before I could speak again. "What were you thinking just walking in here? You should have knocked."

"The door was open, I didn't think you would mind." He said back, running his hands through his hair sheepishly. "I just wanted to talk to you and I figured you wouldn't let me in if I knocked. So I just walked in unannounced."

"Well don't do that. I might have thought you were some weirdo and I could have hurt you." I snapped, my nerves still shot from his presence and I stood there with my arms crossed and glared at him. "Since you are already here, you might as well tell me what you want. And make it quick, I'm not really in the mood for visitors."

"It's like I said, I wanted to talk to you and I think we both know what I'm referring to." He said pointedly, and of course I knew what he was getting at. He wanted to talk about the fight and what had happened between us. His eyes looked up and met mine and he said "I tried to talk to Sookie about it when she came to pick up her check, but she kind of..."

"Let me guess. She wouldn't give you the time of day." I finished for him, knowing Sookie's mind and attitude so well that I could practically predict her reactions and I was right when I saw him nod. I rolled my eyes, my reaction not going to be another he liked. "Well, you shouldn't be too surprised. You have been a real jerk as of late."

"Yea I know." He agreed, pressing his lips together as his eyebrows furrowed. "But I'm trying to right a wrong. And no one will give me a chance."

"Maybe if you stop messing up all the time then you wouldn't have to constantly be begging for forgiveness. Just a thought." I said, perhaps a little more harshly then I should have but I was sill upset over the way he had treated me over the last few months. Not only did he say horrible things when he was around but the ignored my phone calls and wouldn't return any messages. He had been determined to shut me out no matter how much I tried to contact him. I don't even know why I tried so hard to fix things after he left, it wasn't my fault that he had flipped out on me and went on a rampage. That was all him and I wasn't going to pretend like I wasn't still upset. "What are you exactly hoping to get from this conversation Sam?"

"That we could put the past behind us and start fresh." He answered honestly, which had been a trait of his for as long as I had known him. Whether he was mad at me or not, he had no problem saying exactly what he had on his mind. "I want us to be friends again. I want you to forgive me."

"I can't do that Sam. I wish I could, but I can't." I sighed, looking away from his face and down to the floor. "You hurt me too bad."

"I know I did and I am so sorry, but I want to make it up to you. And I can if you just me." He said this so pleadingly and I could see how desperately he wanted me to say yes and to just forgive him. "We can be friends again like we were before..."

"No." I shook my head interrupting him before he could go on. This was too much. I couldn't handle it right now. "We can't be friends because you became someone I don't even know. You are someone who hurts me beyond comprehension for no reason at all. It's like I don't even know you anymore. The old Sam would never be this unhinged and unbalanced. I don't know what happened to him because the Sam that's standing in front of me now is not the man I have known for the last 6 years. So how can we ever be friends again if you are such a stranger to me?"

"Allie, please." Sam moved forward with his hands outstretched but I shook my head. I did not want him to touch me or be near me. This was it, I was done. And I think he knew that because he tried to reach for me again. "Please don't be like this."

"Sam, I mean it when I say this. Get out." I ordered, pointing to the door so he got what I was saying in case his head wasn't working right today. "Get out of here or else I'm going to call the cops."

"You're being unreasonable, but fine. I'll go." He threw up his hands and started moving towards the front door while I followed him to make sure he left. He didn't say a word until he got out onto the porch and looked over his shoulder and asked. "Are you ever going to forgive me?"

"No." I said before slamming the door in his face and locking it.

* * *

><p><em><span>That Night<span>_

"We have a problem." Pam's voice was the first one to directly address him that night and when he turned his head to see his progeny gliding towards him from across the floor, he knew what she had to say was not going to be something that made him happy.

"What is it Pam? It better not be anything horrible. Because I'm really not in the mood for bullshit tonight." Eric grumbled, resuming his position on his throne up on stage while Pam took the seat next to him and settled with her hands on her knees as she looked straight ahead and kept a look on blankness on her face.

"You better be in the mood because it involves you. Or more accurately, a certain maker of yours." Pam said, turning her head to glance at him and then nodded across the crowd towards the bar area, "You obviously didn't notice his arrival, but Godric's here and he looks like he wants to talk to you."

"Oh great." Eric sent a glare at the back of his maker's head who he now spotted at the very edge of the crowded floor and forced himself to grip the edges of his chair so not to fly across the room and attack the older vampire. "Of course he would show up when business in full swing. He purposely chose this time so there would be too many people around and he think I won't cause a scene."

"You better not. This is the first time we have had a really good crowd since you were on your crazy streak, so don't mess it up." Pam warned him, with enough venom in her voice that she almost sounded like she was the maker instead of the other way around. "And now that he's spotted you, he's going to be coming over. So behave yourself."

"Don't tell me what to do." He growled, watching his child get up and disappear into the flurry of wandering humans and vampires just as he set his eyes forward in time to meet the eyes of his maker. He frown got even deeper as Godric climbed up on stage and took the seat that had been occupied by Pam and just sat there like nothing was wrong. It took all he had not to grab him and throw him across the room. "You had to keep on pushing this didn't you?"

"You didn't leave me much of a choice Eric. You refuse to talk to me and I had to do whatever I could to get your attention, even if that meant stepping foot back inside Fangtasia for the first time since that night." Godric said to him, his face not changing its expression in the slightest as he spoke. "I told you more then once that I wasn't going to stop trying. And this is just another effort of mine."

"You're wasting your time. Nothing is going to change." Eric huffed, turning away from Godric and instead just went about scanning the crowd. He was annoyed that Godric was here and he was pissed that he was still trying to force a change in their relationship when there was so much anger and betrayal to get through. He didn't want to think about it and he didn't want to deal with it. So he turned to Godric and said. "Why don't you just give up and take a hike?"

"Because you are my child and I will never ever give up on you. And I plan on coming here and anywhere else you might be for as long as it takes to get things back to normal." Godric stated, annoying him to the highest degree even in his most calm and serene state of mine. "I'm not giving up on you Eric. I'll wait as long as I have to to gain your forgiveness."

"Then you're going to be waiting forever because that's never going to happen." Eric told him stubbornly as Godric got up from the chair and stepped down to the floor with a grin.

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm a vampire. I have nothing but a forever to look forward to." Godric said back smartly, before turning and walking towards the bar showing that he indeed had every intention of staying here for the rest of the night. And that did not sit well with Eric at all.

"Pam, get over here now." He commanded and within 2 seconds, she appeared at his side, looking bored as usual but attentive. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer to him. "Do me a favor and get Godric the hell out of my bar."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" Pam questioned, her hands on her hips and a wrinkle in her pale forehead. "Godric is 2,000 years old, there's no way I can possibly physically force him out."

"No one can, but I do know one person who can get him out of here." Eric said thoughtfully. He knew neither him or Pam could contend with Godric's power and strength but there would be no need for it if the idea he had just thought of followed through. He looked up at Pam and smirked and said the one name of the person who could get rid of Godric for him.

"Allison."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Can you believe Sam? Always expecting everyone to forgive him for his screw ups. Well I will tell you right now that it is not going to happen. Not this time." Sookie announced after I had finished recounting my few minutes with Sam from this afternoon to her the minute she had walked in the door and like I thought, she did not take it well at all. "Who does he think he is just walking in the door like that and scaring you for a second time?"

"He's unreasonable right now and just doesn't get that he is not going to get his way this time." I explained, sitting back in the kitchen chair while I twirled my glass of wine around in my hand. "I know he has been our friend for over 6 years, but I don't think I can forgive him any time soon."

"And neither can I." Sookie told me, continuing to pace back and forth across our kitchen as she spoke. "He really hurt you with his dumb ass behavior and therefore he hurt me. So I'm standing by my stance and not giving him the time of day."

"We are some of the most stubborn girls in our family." I laughed and Sookie nodded in agreement as I took a sip of wine. "Mom and Dad always did say it was going to get me in trouble."

"Yea but this trouble is on Sam and not you." She reminded me as the phone rang on the wall and being as she was the one on her feet, she went to go answer it. "Hello? Pam?"

I shot my head towards Sookie who had turned to look at me with wide eyes and I could understand why she looked like that. First off because it was Pam and anytime that woman talked to us it was always to make a pass at us. And secondly, if she was calling, then it couldn't have been for a good reason. It never was and that's the feeling I got when Sookie came over to the table and handed the phone to me.

"Oh dear god." I grumbled, knowing full well that Pam could hear me from her end of the line as I pressed the phone to my ear. "What do you want now?"

"Well hello to you. Such a nice greeting, it made my night." Her always teasing voice in full swing as she talked to me and I could detect a hint of amusement hidden underneath the tone. But she obviously had business on her mind and for once she wasn't going to go off track. "Look, I'm going to make this quick. Eric wants you to come to the bar tonight."

"I don't think so. I don't really feel like seeing Eric tonight." I spat out, looking up and meeting Sookie's eye as she listened to my half of the conversation and I rolled my eyes. "So tell him thanks for the invitation but I'm not showing up."

"It wasn't a request, it was an order. He wants you here and you are going to do what he says." Pam said and I'm sure if she were standing in front of me then her fangs would be out now. "Trust me, you want to get your pretty little ass over here. That is unless you want Eric to tear Godric a new one..."

"Wait, Godric is there?" My mouth fell open in surprise but it shouldn't have been a shocker. He had told me he would do anything to get back in Eric's good graces, so of course he would show up in Eric's bar. But judging by the tone in Pam's voice, Godric being there was presenting problems. "What's going on over there Pam?"

"Godric refuses to leave the bar and Eric is getting extremely pissed off. Hence why he asked me to call you. He wants Godric to leave and no one can outmatch his strength, so the only thing left to do is to have someone convince him to leave. And that's where you come in." Pam explained, making it sound like I didn't really have a choice but to show up. "And Eric is a split second away from hurting Godric and unless you want them to cause a scene then I seriously suggest you get over here. Right now."

"Alright, I'll be there in 30 minutes." I told her, knowing I might end up regretting it for agreeing to it but I certainly did not want Godric getting into a fight with Eric in the middle of the bar. That would just make things worse, so I had to do this. I hit the end button and dropped the phone on the table before looking up at Sookie with a sigh.

"I have to go to hell house again."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at Fangtasia<span>_

"Jesus Christ. Does he have any idea how annoying his presence is?" Eric growled to Pam as they sat together on the stage and just stared at the back of Godric who remained on the same bar stool on the same end of the counter like he had been for the past 45 minutes. And even though is maker hadn't tried to talk to him or even look at him, Eric still couldn't help but feel on edge and he was sure that if Godric wasn't gone soon, then there just may be a fight happening. "He can be such a dick."

"No actually, that's what people say about you." Pam pointed out, earning a glare from him that she simply took in stride and shrugged. "He's not that bad Eric. I don't know why you won't just forgive him already."

"Because he wronged me." Eric murmured, practically glaring a hole in Godric's head. "And I'm not about to forget that."

"Not that I like getting all in touch with the whole concept of feelings or anything but don't you think that this has gone on long enough?" Pam asked, genuinely looking curious. "I mean, no one knew it was possible to resurrect a vampire. And the first time we hear about it, its your maker that has been brought back. You've been mourning him for over a year. I thought you would have been ecstatic that you were able to have a second chance with him."

"I don't want to talk about it." He snapped, sending her a look that said this conversation was over. "The only thing I want to talk about is getting him out of here."

"I told you that I called..." Pam started to say but her attention was drawn away towards the front door just as a figure entered through it and captured the focus of every vampire in the room. Including him, Pam and Godric. Pam started snickering loudly before saying. "And speak of the devil."

Eric found that once his eyes landed on Allison, he wasn't able to pull them away no matter how hard he tried. It wasn't that she was explicitly dressed or even the fact that her blood was calling out to every immortal in the bar. It was just her and the way her eyes scanned the crowd on the floor in search of Godric. It was the way her loose hair fell down her back and the way her young face looked when she realized everyone's eyes were on her. It still amused him to this day that she didn't seem to understand just how stunning she truly was. That her ability to gain the attention of a room had sometimes nothing to do with her blood and what she was. She was this little delicate flower dressed in a little blue loose dress that only seemed to add to her innocence and appeal. He wasn't worried about her safety because it was known that she belonged to him and he knew no vampire would even dare try and approach her unless they had a death wish. But still, he kept a close watch on her because you just never knew what may happen.

"Mmmmm...She looks delectable." Pam commented, her own eyes still on the girl as she walked through the now resumed chaos of the bar and Pam was more then just a little pleased to see the full blooded Faerie in the same room as her. "It should be illegal for her to come into a vampire bar. Everyone looks like they want a piece of her."

"No one else will ever have her or taste her." Eric stated, smirking in the idea that he would be the only vampire to ever have that kind of bond to her. Well, including Godric, but that was different circumstances and he didn't want to remember that. All he wanted to remember was that he had claim to her. "She's mine."

"Don't be so selfish Eric." Pam rolled her eyes as the two of them watched her walk over to the farthest end of the bar and take a seat next to Godric. "You should share her once in a while."

"Not a chance."

* * *

><p><em><span>Over at the bar<span>_

"Ok, you do realize that Eric is about two seconds away from coming over and punching you in the face right?" I asked Godric as we sat there at the bar and sipped the drinks that he had insisted on ordering. I occasionally looked over my shoulder to the stage where both Pam and Eric were watching us with expectant eyes and I had to look away or else I was worried that prolonged eye contact may just invite them both over. And I did not want contact with either of them. I just wanted to do what I came here to do and that was to get Godric out of the bar in one piece. "And I don't think a fight is what you had in mind when you came here tonight."

"No it certainly was not." He agreed, drinking the last sips of his bottled blood and turned in his chair to face me with a smile. "And I don't intend to start a fight. I'm just going to sit here calmly so Eric knows I'm not going anywhere."

"I think he realizes that and that's why he had Pam call me to come here." I stated, running my hands through my hair and I sighed. "Look, I'm not saying that this was a bad idea, but perhaps it may just be pushing a little too hard. You know what I mean?"

"Not really." He shook his head, glancing at Eric with out any show of expression on his face. "I thought it would be the very thing that fixes everything but I have obviously only furthered in angering my child even more then he was before."

"Then why don't you just back off and let Eric come to you for once. I mean, you tried everything so far and he hasn't really responded. So perhaps its time to let him put the effort in." I suggested, knowing that there wasn't a good chance of that happening but the way Godric was going about it just wasn't working at all. Maybe if Godric backed off and gave Eric some breathing room, then the viking would be more receptive. But a look at Godric showed him shaking his head strongly. "Why are you refusing to give in to this?"

"Because if it was left up to Eric, then nothing would be done at all." He explained, pressing his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes as if he had a headache. "Besides, you don't give up on the ones you love. And you don't let them give up on you. When you love someone, you love all of them. Even the bad parts. Because if you can't love the bad things, then it's not really love."

"I wish I had that mentality when it comes to Eric, the way you do." I mumbled, turning away from his face and looking directly across the room and into the viking's eyes. And for just a moment, I found myself getting lost in those blue orbs just like I use to. And he was looking at me in the same way he did when I had no doubts at all about him. But times had changed and neither of us were the same and I only wished I could hold on to my faith about Eric the way Godric was able to. "I just don't know if I can ever put my trust in him again."

"You will...one day." Godric patted my hand gently, which I greatly appreciated because it made me smile.

"He has to prove himself first." I replied, another sidelong glance at Eric before I was able to focus on Godric completely. "Look, I didn't come here to talk about Eric and I. I came here to get you out of here. I don't want to see either of you getting into a fight and by the looks Eric keeps sending your way, I say he is about to lose his cool. So as a favor to me, just please leave and come with me. As my friend, do this for me. Or else I will have to beg."

"I won't make you do that, although it would be interesting." He said jokingly as he slide off the stool and held his hand out to me. "Alright you win. We can go."

"Well thank God for that." I said happily, taking his hand and jumping down to the floor just in time for him to start pulling me through the crowd of human and vampire bodies. I didn't look over at Eric again but I could tell his eyes were on me, as were every vampire's eyes in the place. But that was to be expected. My blood was extremely intoxicating to the immortals and it was only natural that they would all be staring at me as I passed by them on our way to the door. I even saw a few of them flash out their fangs at me, but I wasn't worried. I knew I wasn't going to be attacked because not only was I with Godric, but Eric and Pam were not that far away and would jump to my rescue if I needed it.

So I wasn't on edge by that as we reached the door, but it was the thought I heard from a human male that I bumped into that seemed to be directed at me. Because when I looked up and met his eyes, they grew wide and I knew that I had been correct and his thought began to repeat themselves in circles. And I couldn't make sense of it.

_"..she's the one..."_

_"...it's the one that they want..."_

_"..she fits the description.."_

_"..but I can't do anything..she's with a vampire and there are too many others that would notice something...but she's definitely the one..."_

**A/N: dun dun dun! what does this mean? Is it something completely innocent or is it something more?**


	8. Pushing away, pushing back

**Chapter 8 Pushing away, pushing back**

"And you're sure you heard these thoughts right?" Godric asked me later that night as we sat together out on my front porch after explaining to him what I had heard in the mind of the man I had bumped into at Fangtasia. At first Godric didn't seem too concerned when I told him some of the statements going on in the guy's mind. In fact, he was thinking it just referred to the fact that humans were recognizing that I was the one that Eric had claimed. But when I continued to explain that the thoughts went beyond that and it seemed like this guy had something else in mind, that's when Godric started taking it more seriously. "Are you certain you heard correctly?"

"Yes Godric. This guy clearly said that I fit the description and that I was the one that they wanted. I heard it as well as I hear everyone's thoughts." I told him, sitting back on the bench with my arms crossed and my legs stretched out in front of me. I didn't want to admit that I was feeling uneasy about this whole thing, but I just couldn't shake the foreboding sense that something wasn't right. People don't just think thoughts like that at me unless it was something serious. I looked at Godric with a frown. "This isn't just random is it? It's a preview that something is going to happen isn't it?"

"I definitely agree it's something to be on alert about. We need to be careful because it's obvious from what you heard that there are people watching you for some reason. And when people are watching you from afar, it's never for anything good." He told me, turning his head to look at me and for once, the calm expression he wore since we came back wasn't there. And that scared me. Godric was a vampire and if he was worried about something, then I definitely had to be worried. He reached over and took my hand gently. "This could be the beginning of a threat and I just want to make sure you are aware of that so you can be highly observant."

"I do know it's something serious and that's why I mentioned it to you." I said quietly, biting down on my bottom lip and sliding closer to him so I could grab his arm. "It scares me to think there is something out there watching me. I mean, it wasn't all that long ago that I was being stalked by a demon hybrid. And now it looks like there could be something else out to get me. Am I just a magnet for trouble?"

"No, its other people who try and cause trouble when they think they can gain something from you. So no, it's not your fault." Godric assured me as I leaned my head against his shoulder and stared out at the dark night, wondering what it could be that was looking to harm me now. Godric shuffled his position around before speaking. "And if it is something bigger then what we initially thought, then we will protect you. All of us."

"Ok, this is really starting to scare me." I stated with a shaky sigh, feeling that old prick of fear starting to come over me in a way that I hadn't felt since before my abduction happened. That was a feeling that I hadn't wanted to ever remotely encounter ever again. "Can we change the subject to something else for now?"

"Sure." He nodded, but I could tell through our bond that this wouldn't be the last time that he was going to feel worried tonight. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well I actually had a favor to ask you." I told him, sitting up and removing my hands from his arm, glad that we were abandoning the subject of this new possible threat for now and focusing on something else. "You know that Sookie and Bill's wedding is coming up next month right?"

"Yes, I have heard. I believe it is the first vampire wedding that I have personally heard of." Godric said with a smile and I almost forgot that he and Sookie had had a connection in Dallas last year. Of course he would know about her wedding. The two of them did still occasionally talked when I wasn't around and she told me about it so I knew the subject of the wedding had come up between them. "So what's the favor?"

"Well, Sookie and I were talking the other day about it and she wanted to know if I was bringing someone and I told her I didn't know because I had no intention of asking either Damon or Eric. And I was fully ok with going alone until I thought of something better." I replied, perking up slightly as I remembered the conversation I had with my cousin. It was such a perfect solution that I couldn't believe I hadn't asked him the first time I saw him after I had thought of it. "So I was wondering if you would be my date. I mean you are one of my best friends and I think it would be fun to go together. What do you say?"

"I say it would be an honor and a privilege." He answered with one of the brightest grins I had ever seen on his face. "I would be completely in agreement of being in the company of someone as beautiful as you. I would be the envy of every vampire in the world, including my child."

"Oh stop it." I swiped at his shoulder, feeling a heat rise up in my cheeks at his words. "You're making me blush over something that is so not true."

"It amazes me that humans are not aware of just how incredibly desirable they are. Especially you. Do you not remember how you had every vampire's attention on you when you walked into the bar tonight?" He asked with a little bit of a wicked smile.

"That's because I'm not human and I'm a Faerie. They only paid attention to me because of my blood." I countered, knowing that was all there was to it.

"Not Eric." Godric commented, his smirk getting just a little bit more smug as he spoke. "He was looking at you and it wasn't just a lust for your blood. It was for an entirely different reason."

"I don't want to talk about Eric right now. Or why he was looking at me with whatever expression that you think you saw. All that I want to talk about is that you will be my date for the wedding." I said, cutting off any further continuation of this topic. "So are you in?"

"Absolutely." He agreed, setting his hands in his lap and he turned his attention to the night sky and I was dismayed when a serious frown took over his pale features much like before. "And it's a good thing I agreed, because now with me at your side, I can watch out for you in case anything happens."

"And there we go back to that lovely gem of a conversation." I sighed, wrapping my arms around myself as I too sat back and watched the sky. I didn't want to face this and find out that there could be yet another attempt out there to hurt me. But Godric seemed certain that this wasn't just some random incident. And perhaps I should just accept it and take whatever came. I turned to glance at him and asked. "Do you really think it's something to worry about?"

"In my experience, things like this always mean something."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"Oh great. He's back."

Godric grinned when he heard his child speak from across the empty bar as he stepped into the room and set his sights on Eric much as he had when he came here the first time. But unlike earlier, he wasn't here for himself. He was here for Allison and as much as Eric would protest his presence, that had to be put aside so that the two of them could join forces and make sure everything was safe and secure for the girl. Eric could kick and scream and attempt to throw him out, but in the end this was not about either of them. It was about making sure that Allison had the best protection she could possibly have under this new possible threat. And he and Eric would just have to put their differences aside for now.

"Eric, we need to talk." He said as soon as he came within 2 feet of his child who had not moved off his chair on the stage even after he had expressed his disgust over seeing him. But this did not stop Godric from getting up and taking the seat right next to him. "And this time it's not about us. It's about Allison. We may have a problem on our hands."

"What kind of a problem?" Eric's body language instantly stiffened at the mere mention of trouble and he actually lost the hardness in his face as an expression of concern washed over him. "What happened between the time when you two left and now? It hasn't been more then 90 minutes since you were last here."

"It happened while we were here. We were leaving when Allison bumped into a human male and heard his thoughts and they suggested that he was scoping her out. And not for a good time." Godric explained, keeping his eyes on Eric and was pleased to see the younger vampire's hands curling over the arms of the chair. It was obvious that Eric still cared deeply for the girl and would kill if necessary if any harm came to her. "This human's thoughts were saying that she was the one 'they' were looking for. And that says that there is something out there watching her for some reason."

"And she didn't hear anything specific?" Eric questioned, his blue eyes filling with a fire that for once had nothing to do with Godric. "Not a clue about who was behind this?"

"No, it was all very vague but I could tell it scared her when she told me about it back at her house." Godric explained, remembering the nervous look on her face when they had parted. "I left her in the company of her cousin and Bill. But I needed to come speak with you about this. Something needs to be done."

"I'll take care of it." Eric said suddenly, sitting back with a determined swipe of his hand through his hair. "She's my responsibility, you don't need to trouble yourself over it."

"She's my friend too Eric, and I already promised I would keep an eye on he when she asked me to be her date to Sookie's wedding." He stated, knowing it was the wrong way to let Eric know about this but he didn't want to keep anything from him. He had learned that having secrets pertaining to Eric and not saying anything was just going to end up being detrimental in the long run.

"You're taking her to the wedding?" Eric had already begin to rise out of his seat over this new direction the conversation had turned. "Are you fucking..."

"Eric, do not start with me." Godric found himself snapping at his child, sending such a glare at his progeny that Eric sat back down with a huff. "I'm not going to get into a fight with you over something so minor when there is possibly something out there hunting down a girl we both care about."

"I can't believe you agreed to be her date. That's just fucking things up to a whole new level." Eric growled so loudly that it would have scared off any humans if the bar had been full. "But I stand by what I said before. Allison is mine and I will be the one looking out for her, not you."

"Don't be stupid Eric. It will be better if we put aside our issues and work together." Godric had no qualms about being harsh with his child because sometimes he felt like it was the only way to get through to him. "This is not the time to be stubborn. It would be safer for Allison if we both looked out for her. You do care about her don't you?"

"Of course I care about her. I love her." Eric exclaimed, his eyes flaring up with flames of fury at the suggestion he may not care enough to stop being mad at Godric long enough to look out for her best interests. "How can you even ask me that?"

"Because then you would be more receptive to the fact that if this is indeed something to be concerned over then you would forget about this hostility between us and just focus on her. Especially since she means that much to you." Godric shot back, not wanting this to turn into another fight but it looked like it was well on its way and that had not been his mission when he came here. "I care about her too Eric, because she brought me back to you. And for that she is always going to be of a concern to me. But that doesn't mean I'm going to try and take her away from you. That's what this is really about isn't it?"

"Maybe it is." Eric hissed, getting up from his chair and stepping down to the floor before turning back to look at him. "Because ever since you came back into my life with Allison, it just seems like you are always one step ahead of me. It's you spending time with her. It's you having these conversations where she confides in you. You're having a closeness with her that I should be having and now you're taking her to Sookie's wedding. Face it, you're replacing me."

"How could you possibly even think that?" Godric felt his mouth drop open and it wasn't often that he was taken by surprise. Sure he loved Allison but it was in a completely different way then how Eric loved her. Eric loved her like a man loved a woman and it was apparent every time he laid eyes on her that his feelings hadn't changed in their time apart. And Godric loved her like a father loved a child, like a brother loved his sister, like a best friend. There was nothing at all romantic about it in the slightest, but trying to get Eric to believe that was a task he wasn't sure he could get done. "Eric I'm not replacing you. It's madness and it's all in your head."

"That's what everyone said when I told them I felt my bond with you being reopened, but I wasn't wrong about that now was it?" Eric smoldering gaze fell on his and Godric couldn't help but feel that this was going to end in a way that no one would like. "She is mine Godric, not yours. It's up to me to ensure her safety and I won't have you coming in and trying to ruin it. You shouldn't even be here. There's no place for you in this life anymore."

"You know what? Maybe you're right." Godric sighed, getting up and jumping down to the floor before walking right passed Eric on his way to the door. He wasn't going to stick around anymore and listen to this. Eric made it very clear how he was approaching the situation and how he viewed Godric's place in all of it. And according to him, he had no place. So maybe it was time for him to change things. He got to the door and looked back at his child with a shake of his head. "Maybe I shouldn't be here."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"Godric you're back so soon!" I exclaimed, jumping up from my bed when I spotted the 2,000 year old vampire climbing through my window and I rushed across the room to hug him. But I had barely gotten 3 feet closer to him when he held up his hand and I skidded to a stop wondering what it was that was wrong. It was then that I noticed the uneasy expression on his face and I knew that wherever he had been, it had caused him a lot of upset and that was evident when he motioned for me to sit down. "What happened?"

"I went to go see Eric." He answered back quickly in an almost hasty manner as if he had something really important to say and he just wanted to get through the small talk so they could talk about whatever it was that was the matter. "And it did not go well and I made a decision. And that was why I came back to see you. I wanted you to know what was going on."

"Which is what exactly?" I asked, fearing what the answer would be and I wished more then anything that I could read a vampire's mind. It looked like it was paining him to tell me this.

"I'm leaving." He said quietly but still loud enough for me to hear every word that came out of his mouth. "I'm taking some time away from Bon Temps and Shreveport. And from you and Eric."

"What the hell did he say to you?" I demanded, immediately jumping to my feet again at the mention of Eric. I knew right away that whatever Eric said to him was bad because ever since Godric came back it had been one fight after the other.

"I told him about this possible new threat and somehow that lead to me telling him about us going to the wedding together and from there he seemed to think that I was trying to take his place in your life because I was telling him that I cared about you too. But he was convinced that my intentions are romantic and that our bond is going to turn into something more then friendship." Godric explained, his shoulders hunched as he relayed this to me.

"But that's ridiculous and a little gross. No offense." I waved my hands at him as I spoke. "I have no attraction to you whatsoever. And I never would be with you in the way I would be with Eric. That's just so crazy."

"And that's what I told him, that I loved you but in a strictly brotherly and friendly way. But he's managed to convince himself that it couldn't possibly be true." Godric shook his head, looking weary as he closed his eyes. "Frankly, its his jealousy that has taken over him and is making him irrational. He wants the closeness that I have with you and he's mad that he can't get it as easily as I can."

"But that's no reason for him to keep on pushing you away like this." I protested, wishing Eric was here so I could kick him right in the nuts. "He'll get over this. You know he will."

"I know that and I have tried to remain positive but I have reached my breaking point with Eric and it may just be time to step back and let things cool off. He made it very clear that there was no place in his life for me right now." He told me rubbing his hands up and down his face. "Maybe the time away will make Eric more receptive to the fact that I am back in his life. But I think continuing to push will end up pushing him away for good. So I'm going to leave before I make things worse."

"Where are you going to go?" I asked, feeling a sadness sweep over me and I wondered if Eric could feel it. If he did then I hoped it made him feel bad because he should feel bad. Godric was leaving because of him. "How long will you be gone?"

"I might return to Dallas and mend my relations there with my former nest mates. And if I do that, then I'm not sure how long I will be gone." He said honestly, looking at me with sorrow in his eyes. "Please support me on this."

"Of course I will." I reached out in the air to take his hand. "But you'll still come around and visit right? I would hate think I wouldn't still see you from time to time."

"You'll definitely see me. I will come back for the wedding and I will stay in the shadows to keep an eye on you in case trouble hits." He assured, cranking out a smile for my benefit. "But most of the time, you won't see me. But just know I am always there."

"And you'll say good bye before you go right?" I asked, pressing my lips together so I wouldn't cry. "You'll come by before you leave?"

"Of course. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later<span>_

"Well, you certainly look pissed off right now." Eric's voice came at me from the open window that Godric had just exited only 20 minutes ago and now it was being filled with Eric's long frame as he climbed through and landed on the floor of my bedroom with a smirk that on any other circumstance I would have found adorable but now only hated. In fact, I hated everything about this guy

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show up here after what you did." I snapped at him, getting up from my spot at my desk and came towards him with more fury then I had ever felt in my life. "I knew you were an asshole before, but that doesn't even describe how horrible you have been to Godric since he came back."

"Don't forget he was just as horrible when he failed to tell me about him being alive. So I think we're even." He shot back at me with his arms crossed.

"Oh grow up Eric. Stop making it a competition because it's not a competition at all. Godric is not taking your spot in my life. You're losing it because you continue to behave like a child who doesn't get his way." I hissed, wishing I had the strength to just smack him in the face and make it hurt. Sure I had powers, but there was nothing quite as satisfying as punching someone in the face when they piss you off. "Did you honestly think that I would be more open to getting back together with you with the way you have been treating Godric? Well guess again asshole."

"I forgot how hot you are when you are mad at me." Eric commented, his tongue running over the tip of his fangs that had protruded out slightly.

"Focus Eric, I know how hard that is for you but right now I'm not in the mood for your bullshit." I snapped my fingers in the air to get his attention, but it didn't do a bit of good as he just stared at me with a hunger and lust in his eyes. "Godric is one of my best friends and the way you are treating him is just not acceptable. You're pushing him away to the point that he decided to leave town for a while."

"That wasn't my intention but maybe it is a good thing." Eric shrugged, infuriating me with his carefree attitude. Didn't he care that his maker was leaving? Didn't he care that this would hurt me? Did he care at all?

"For God sakes Eric, you are being stupid." I screamed at him, feeling myself start to crumble at the emotional turn of events the last few hours had brought me. I had managed to hold it together for Godric when he was telling me his plans but for some reason, when it came to Eric I was always on the verge of tears. "Don't you how much this is going to hurt me? He's my friend and now he's leaving because of you when all he came back for was to make things right with you. He came to life for you. I brought him back so he could do that and you have to keep pushing him back. What is the matter with you?"

"Nothing except being the one person who can always make you cry." He said softly, touching his finger to my cheek where a tear had fallen without my notice and it seemed that the sight of it had softened him. "Please don't do that. You know very well I can't handle your tears."

"You are so damn infuriating Eric Northman. Don't you get it? I resurrected Godric for you." I blurted out, taking both him and myself by surprise as I had never had any intention of divulging the real reason why I had decided to bring Godric back. But in my emotional state, anything could slip out and it did. "It was because of you that it was the main reason I so willingly gave him my blood so he could regenerate. I knew it would mean the world to you to have your maker back and I was ready to do whatever it took to make that happen, even if it meant sacrificing part of myself."

"Why would you do that for me?" He questioned, a frown settling on his handsome face as his fingers wiped away my tears that were flowing more freely then before.

"Because I still love you." I whispered, staring at him right in the eyes as I said this. "I may have been hurt by what happened between us, but it didn't mean I forgot how much I loved you. Or still love you. And I knew what having Godric back would mean to you. So I did what I had to do and resurrected him. But now it's all in vain because you're pushing him away like a scared little boy."

"I'm not a..."Eric tried to defend himself but I cut right back in.

"Do you know how lucky you are?" I asked him, standing back with my arms hanging down at my sides. "Most people would be so incredibly grateful to have a second chance with a loved one. Hell I would be grateful if I had that opportunity. If I had a chance to have my parents back then I would cherish it and not ruin it. I can't have them back,but you get to have Godric back and you're wasting it like the big dumb viking that you are."

"Are you done?" He asked, narrowing his beautiful blue eyes at me.

"No, just stopping to gather my breath for my next rant." I retorted smartly, quickly running my hands through my hair when it had fallen in my face as I had yelled at him and now I stood even further back just waiting for him to either open his mouth to yell back or even to attack me. He looked like he could do either. But what he chose to do next was not a reaction I was prepared for.

Eric just looked at me for the longest time and without even saying a word, he stepped forward, closing the space between us until he was able to bring both hands up to my face and then without warning he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. I was so shocked and unprepared for his actions that I simply stood there, unable to raise my arms and push him away. In fact the only thing on my mind was not how much I was mad at him, but how incredible this felt. It was the first kiss we had shared in over 5 months and it was just as intoxicating and erotic as it had been the last time we had found ourselves in this position. And I should have been trying to find some way to get out of this, out of his embrace, but I didn't want to. I just wanted to stay there forever, feeling his lips on mine and his hands on my face and his body just inches away. It was flooding me with feelings that I had been repressing for a while now and I was beginning to remember how good it had been between us and just how much I was still wildly attracted to him. I wasn't lying when I said I still loved him. I was still very much in love with this asshole and as much as I wished I didn't have these feelings, I knew it was going to become more of a problem if I didn't start facing them once and for all.

Eric pulled back from me and my lips already ached with missing them as he stepped away and put the space back between us. And then without saying a word, he walked over to the window and climbed back through and disappeared into the night. And I was left alone, not sure how I felt about anything anymore.


	9. The last thread

**Chapter 9 The last thread**

"So I need your advice." I said to Sookie as I walked into her bedroom the next afternoon and threw myself down on her bed while she sat in front of her mirror and put on her makeup to go to work for the night shift. I lifted my head so I could look at her when she turned around and I had to close my eyes as I said this or I would never be able to get it out and I needed to get it out. My sanity depended on it. "Eric kissed me last night."

"Are you serious?" Sookie immediately dropped her makeup brush and came over to the bed to grab my hands which had come up to cover my face and yanked them back down. "He kissed you? For the first time since everything happened between you guys?"

"Yup. He sure did." I replied, biting my lips to remain calm but it didn't stop the blush that rose up in my face as my mind started going back to how incredible it had been to feel Eric's lips on mine again. Even with all the bad things that were still unresolved between us, it didn't erase the fact that kissing Eric was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. But that in turn brought back every hurt and pain and scar he had left on me when he broke my heart and having him kiss me suddenly, although it was wonderful, it still left me confused and unsure. "I don't know what I'm thinking right now."

"I think that you're thinking it should have gone further." Sookie pointed out with a devilish grin and she jumped out of the way when I threw a pillow at her head. "Hey relax, I was only speaking the truth. And it's written all over your face. You totally wanted to have sex with Eric."

"Don't ever say it like that again. It's creepy." I shuddered, completely grossed out by the carefree way she talked about my desire to have sex with Eric and how she knew it so quickly. It was one thing for me to be thinking it, but to have it pointed out and said out loud was an entirely different thing. "It's weird to hear you say that when you claim to absolutely hate the man's guts."

"Oh I still do hate him and probably always will. I'm not disputing that fact." Sookie said, agreeing with my statement with a wave of her hands. "But that doesn't mean I don't still see the spark between you guys. And there is obviously still something there if you come flying into my bedroom and start obsessing over this kiss."

"It's just so damn confusing right now. It comes at the worse time and I just don't need to be confused right now." I told her, dropping my face back down into my hands and groaned long and loud. "On one hand, I hate the kiss because I'm so furious at him for the way he has been treating Godric and for pushing him to the point that he's leaving. But then again, I also completely loved the kiss and that just makes it even more confusing because I'm still so hurt over what he did to me."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Maybe you and Eric need to sit down and talk about your future since its apparent that you still care for him and that's ok." Sookie reached over and squeezed my hands with a gentle smile. "I told you this before and I'm going to say it again. Eric made a mistake and he knows that and he wants to fix it. Even though I can't stand him at all, even I can see that he feels bad for what he did. And he would fix it if you just gave him the chance."

"I don't know. It just makes me so incredibly uneasy to consider letting myself be that vulnerable with him again. I mean, I trusted him with every part of me and it proved to be such a colossal mistake. And I don't know if I can do it again. I barely have it together now and if I let him in and he breaks my heart again, then I'm afraid of how badly I will hurt." I confessed, giving voice to the flame of fear that had been burning inside of me for a while now. "I'm scared of him hurting me."

"There's always going to be fear when it comes to love and its not just because of him being a vampire. Your heart is always a vulnerable thing and it takes a lot to reopen it again. And as much as he hurt you, I feel pretty certain when I say that he won't do it again. He loves you and I know you love him. You wouldn't be here talking to me about it if you didn't." Sookie responded with another smile. "I know you are confused about everything and what it all means. But if you still want Eric in your life then you need to give yourself permission to figure it out. Because you deserve to have a long and full life and it's ok if Eric is is in it."

"I just don't know..."

* * *

><p><em><span>That night<span>_

"Can't you take a hint and leave me alone already?" Eric's annoyed voice filled his ears as Godric stepped through the door of Fangtasia that e and came face to face with his child for what may very well be the last time for a while. So he wasn't at all offended when Eric spoke to him that way. Even now after two weeks of fights and bad attitude, Godric was still holding on to the last thread of his patience with his child. He had to because he had something big to tell Eric and he needed to keep his cool if he was hoping to get it out. And that was why he walked across the empty room and over to the stage where Eric was positioned on his throne as usual and climbed up until he was able to stare his child in the eye with a blank look. Eric just narrowed his eyes and asked. "Why are you here besides just the fact to annoy me yet again."

"I just came here to let you know I have come to a decision." Godric told the former viking, sitting down in the empty chair next to Eric and tucked his hands under his arms. "I'm going to give you what you have been demanding. I'm going to leave you alone."

"Yea, right." Eric replied doubtfully, rolling his eyes in a very sarcastic manner. "If you were serious then you would have picked up the phone and called instead of coming here in person."

"I had to come here in person. This is not the kind of news you give over the phone." Godric grit his teeth and forced himself to remain calm. Losing his composure was not going to help anything. "I'm going to leave Shreveport for a while and return to Dallas. I just thought you should know."

"I guess I should have known you weren't going to stick around for long." Eric replied harshly, shaking his head quickly. "You were never serious about proving yourself."

"I was serious Eric, but I can only do some much before I have to step back and try something else. Everyone has a breaking point, even me." Godric told him, turning his body in his child's direction. He couldn't read Eric's facial expression and he couldn't feel his emotions being as that Eric had closed off their bond since the night they had been reunited. But he could still take a guess at what was going on inside his head. "I'm not giving up on you. But you are making it so difficult to keep trying. So I'm going about it a different way. And hopefully this time it will work."

"Oh I highly doubt it." Eric refused to agree, getting up and stepping down to the floor before turning back around. "Just say it for what it is. You're giving up."

"No, I refuse to say that because it's not the truth. And I know you're only saying this because you are upset by my decision and you are just still mad at me but I can no longer help that. It's time for us to part and lead separate lives for a while until we get to a point where we can try this again." Godric explained, knowing that although his decision was going to be hard to stick by, it was happening for all the right reasons. But he suspected that Eric's fury was not just related to the volatile relationship between them at the moment, but it could also be related to his worry over the safety of Allison which they had yet to come to an agreement on. And that was what lead him to what he said next. "But I don't want you to worry about anything, including Allison. I told her that even though I will be gone, I will still be around to keep an eye on her from the shadows. So she will be safe until we figure out what is happening with this new threat."

"Don't even go there Godric." Eric warned, his pale face tightening up into another frown that suggested that this conversation was going to end up just like all the others and that was either in a verbal spat or a violent rage. Or maybe even both. "I told you before that Allison is my concern and you are going to stay out of it."

"And I told you that she is my friend and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to make sure she is safe. And so don't turn this into another damn fight. This is not about us, it's about her and making sure she is protected. And the only way to insure that its by working together." Godric shot back, his composure hanging on by one final thread and if Eric continued to hack at it then Godric was going to lose connection to his calm demeanor and lash out. "I may be leaving Eric, but Allison's safety is my first priority and nothing you say or do is going to change that. So suck it up already."

"No fucking way." Eric yelled, flashing over to the nearest table and throwing it across the room.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Oh dear god. If they don't stop yelling at each other I swear I will run right in there and stake them both and I wouldn't feel bad about it." Pam groaned as she slipped passed the doorway leading to the back and headed towards Eric's office, knowing her presence wouldn't be missed as Eric hardly seemed to notice anything when he was deep in a fight with his maker. As soon as she got inside the room, she kicked the door shut and it did muffle the noise, but being a vampire she still heard every word they were saying. And after almost two weeks of listening to them bicker and argue like human children, she had reached her own breaking point and she needed to find some peace. Hence why she was taking refuge in Eric's office, at least in here she wasn't in the direct line of fire of them screaming at each other. She dropped onto the plush couch pushed up against the wall and sat back with her eyes closed. "I can't take much more of this."

She really couldn't. She had tried her hardest to keep a neutral stance in this whole thing but at the moment she couldn't think straight and it was a direct result of having to endure the countless amounts of fights that seemed to be happening on a nightly basis ever since Godric revealed himself to be alive. At first she had been entirely on Eric's side for the simple fact that he was her maker and she would always automatically take his side no matter what the circumstances. But as the fights continued to escalate and Eric's temper grew and exploded all over the place, Pam was starting to see the other side of the situation. She may not have known Godric all that well, but she knew him enough to know when he was being sincere and he was certainly one of the most sincere vampires around. And even she could see that he was feeling remorseful for not telling Eric the truth sooner. And after having to sit through 2 weeks of fights, Pam was definitely leaning towards Godric's team. She knew that if things were made right between him and Eric then it was entirely possible that Eric could be slightly more pleasant to be around. Or at least make it easier for them all to interact. Because if she had to endure one more night of this then she would surely go crazy.

Something had to give and it had to give now. And that was why she reached over and grabbed the desk phone and quickly dialed a familiar number, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for it to be picked up and when it did, a smirk uncurled across her lips. "Well hello Ms. Allison Stackhouse."

"Hello Pam." Allison sighed, her voice immediately on guard and suspicious as it always was when they talked on the phone. "What do you want?"

"What I always want at this time of night." She replied with an even bigger smile as her fangs clicked out and she heard Allison gasp as she surely heard the noise. "But since you won't give that to me, then I will just have to resort to my own need."

"And what would that be?" The young Faerie asked smartly and Pam could picture her standing with one hand on her hip while she held the phone on her shoulder and twirled her hair. "That you need to develop a more interesting personality?"

"Hmm, feisty tonight. I like that. A lot." Pam's interest was immediately spiked by this attitude and on any normal night she would keep it going for as long as she could. But tonight was not a normal night and for once she just wanted help and not a way to amuse herself. "But forget that. Right now I need a favor."

"Another favor? Seriously?" Allison asked, already sounding annoyed and she didn't even know what it was about. "Please don't tell me it has to do with Godric and Eric fighting again."

"Unfortunately yes. Godric came in here to tell Eric that he was leaving and then it all escalated from there and I have had to listen to this ever since." Pam explained, grimacing as she heard the distinct sounds of flying furniture coming from out on the main floor. "I need you to come here and get them to call a truce once and for all."

"Pam I can't run up to up Shreveport every time they have a fight." Allie protested, her voice strained and tired about as much as Pam's was at this point. "Can't you handle it yourself?"

"I've tried and failed. And if I have to listen to one more night of this then I might do something stupid because I can't take it. You need to get here and force them apart. Don't make me beg." Pam said pleadingly, knowing how pathetic she sounded but at this point she did not care. "Just come here and get them away from each other."

"Fine, I'll leave right now and I will get there as soon as I can."

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"Jesus Christ what the hell took you so long to get here?" Was the first thing that came out of Pam's mouth the moment I pulled into the parking lot at Fangtasia and got out of my car. She wasted not even a few seconds before she rushed over and appeared in front of me with the most frustrated and annoyed look on her face that I had ever seen and that was really saying something. Her eyes glared down at me until they had become little slits. "You're late."

"Oh hi sweetie, nice to see you too." I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I stuffed my key in my back pocket. "There was traffic and I got here as soon as I could just like I said to you on the phone."

"It still wasn't fast enough." Pam insisted, grabbing my upper and started pulling me towards the front door of the bar. "Hurry up and get inside, they are still screaming at each other."

"Over what?" I asked, not at all surprised that Eric and Godric had come to blows once again. It happened pretty much every time they were in the same room together. They definitely had combustible personalities.

"What haven't they yelled at each other about. Hmm, let's see." Pam used her fingers to count off the list to me. "They have been fighting about Godric leaving, Eric's behavior, Eric's jealousy issues, and of course you."

"Me? Seriously?" I asked as we reached the door and she pulled it open for me, ushering me inside. "I'm tied into everything aren't I?"

"No shit. Any topic always somehow circles back to you. And that's not surprising since you were the one to bring Godric back into my maker's life. So really, this is all your doing." Pam sneered at me as we passed through the doorway and into the empty bar where it was very clear where all the noise was coming from. Pam paused by the end of the bar counter and nodded to the two screaming vampires. "You go deal with them, they're giving me a headache."

"I don't know exactly what you expect me to do about it, but I'll try." I told her, turning to face the large room and began walking through the jumbled pile of tables and chairs that looked like they had been pushed aside when the boys had started fighting. I tried to block out their voices and just focus on what I was going to say to get them to just stop it already. But it was very hard not to listen when they were not only shouting at each other but they were also saying. It was just hard to listen to. They once had a close relationship, closer then any other maker/child relationship. And now it was like they had forgotten that

"You're being stupid."

"Well you're being a brat."

"At least I'm not running away."

"You pushed me to it Eric. I've tried so hard to get back in your good graces but you keep on pushing me away until I got fed up. I'm not giving up on you, but I am giving you the one thing you have been asking for and that is space. You ordered me to leave you alone and now I'm doing it. So don't you dare insult me."

"Ok guys why don't you take a breather and go to your respective corners." I spoke up, stopping my tracks when I was a few feet away and waved my hands to get their attention. And while they did stop screaming, they didn't seem to have heard me or even noticed that I had walked in the room. They just stood there apart from each other with their hands clenched and their eyes snapping. "So how about you two just separate for a..."

"You have always been the most stubborn child since the moment I turned you."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have turned me then. Especially since you obviously can't handle the problems with the vampire you created. And remember how this all started when you didn't tell me you were alive."

"Damn you Eric, will you just let that go already? I told you I was sorry and that I regret how I went about this whole thing. And I think we can get passed this, but you have to start giving me a chance."

"Never!"

"Oh my god will you stop it already." I shouted at them, hoping this time would be the time that they heard me. I hated to see them fight even if it wasn't physical. They both meant something to me in different ways and to see them continuing to butt heads was just torture to watch. They didn't realize it but watching them like this was hurting me. And that was why I had to try again to get their attention. "Eric, Godric, come on and just stop this..."

"You will never admit it but are enjoying the fact that you have all the attention on you."

"I do not! I never asked for this spotlight to be on me. I just wanted to come back to my old life and mend some things. That's it. But you keep insisting that it is something more then that."

"It is, it always has been. From the moment you walked into this bar almost two weeks ago, you have been steadily pushing me out of everything, taking my spot in Allison's life. You have a damn bond with her and she won't even give me the time of day."

"See? You are jealous."

"Yea, I am. Because you're trying to take her away from me."

"I am not."

"Ok, I think I'm done. I'm just going to go over there now." I said out loud but much like before, they paid no attention to me and just went back to screaming at each other. I sighed heavily, knowing it was hopeless when they were in the zone the way they were now. The only thing I could do was stand back and let them scream it out until they exhausted each others patience. I could only hope and pray that it didn't lead to them to actually attacking each other. So I turned on my heels and walked back across the empty floor to the front of the room where Pam was still standing near the counter by an overturned table and I took my place to her left as we both just watched the two vampires go at it very loudly. I leaned over and said. "Sorry, but I tried."

"Yea I know. They're both just being stubborn as usual and normally I would be amused by my maker fighting like a teenage girl, but now it's just sad and pathetic." Pam rolled her eyes as she ran her manicured fingers through her hair and turned to look down at me and for once, her face wasn't filled with anything menacing or creepy. She just looked worried. "Is this animosity between them ever going to end?"

"Maybe not right away but right now they're not physically attacking each other so that has to be a sign that progress is being made." I said, trying to keep my voice as upbeat as possible but it was hard to do when there were two quarreling vampires standing across the bar from us. "And who knows? Maybe yelling at each other is just what they need to get anything and everything out on the table. Maybe it's a way of cleansing their minds or something."

"Sometimes you humans say the stupidest things." Pam growled out of the corner of her mouth but I saw the slightest hint of a smile there.

"Thank you Pam." I said, smiling back at her and for the first time ever, I think I meant it. "And remember, I'm not human."

"Trust me sweetheart, I never forget that about you." She replied in typical Pam fashion, eying me up and down as if she were mentally undressing me and smirked. "Have I told you how delightfully yummy you look right now?"

"And things are so back to normal." I laughed, shaking my head. Things may not be ok with Godric and Eric, but at least it looked like I would be getting along with Pam a lot better now. Maybe between the two of us we can get Eric and Godric back on track. And then maybe we could all just be happy and live our lives. We all were alive and had so much possibility in front of us. We shouldn't waste it with petty arguments. Life shouldn't be full with stupid drama. That wasn't what it was about. Things could be normal if we just let it.

But that wasn't meant to be because in my head I could hear the familiar crackle of someone's thought about to enter my mind and a second later after I realized that, I was hearing the thoughts of a human in the distance somewhere.

_"Ok, I can see through the window..."_

_" The Faerie is standing right next to the female vampire..."_

_"I have a clear shot at the bloodsucker...if I just keep my hand steady..."_

_"Any second now, I'll fire and she'll be nothing but a nice big pile of vampire __guts..."_

I barely had enough time to bring my hands up just as the light erupted from my fingertips and I was able to shove Pam across the room and down to the floor to keep her safe just as the sound of breaking glass filled the air. I didn't even have a chance to defend myself or get out of the way as I felt a blinding pain almost suffocate me the moment the glass landed on the floor inside the bar. I looked down only to see that the stake meant for Pam had struck me instead and was now buried halfway deep in my chest with blood gushing down the front of my body as I struggled to breathe.

"Oh god." I said, seeing the blood on my hands and being overcome by pain, it was the last thing I said before I crashed to the ground and lost sight of everything around me.


	10. Teach me to live

**Chapter 10 Teach me to live**

"Oh my god." Allison's voice came out in a weak little whisper as he stood across the room with Godric and Pam and watched in horror as she fell to the floor with an enormous stake sticking out of her chest and blood starting to fly out everywhere as she disappeared from view. It had happened so fast that at first no one even knew what was going on. But then the smell of blood filled the air and the sight of Allison standing there briefly with the stake thrust inside of her explained it all. She must have heard the thoughts of whoever had sent that stake through the window because neither of the three vampires had heard any voices. And if it was a stake and Pam was currently still on the floor at their feet, then it was Pam who was meant to die and Allison had shoved her away only to be hit instead to take the fatal wound. It was only when he heard another whimper of pain that he was able to start moving and he flashed across the room and knelt down at Allison's side to grab her shoulders and turn her over and he was devastated to see the amount of blood that she was losing. Her eyes were fluttering closed as if she were about to close them permanently and never wake up again.

"Oh no you don't. You're not dying on me tonight. Not on my watch. Open your damn eyes." He practically shouted in her face while harshly shaking her and feeling bad that he was being so rough, but it didn't matter because it was the only thing that would keep her from shutting her eyes. Because if she closed them then that was it, she would be gone and he would have lost her. He shook her harder then ever before and screamed. "God damn it, open your eyes."

"Er...eric." She weakly looked up at him, her vibrant green eyes clouding over in the sort of pain that he could not even imagine that she was feeling as one of her hands brushed against his wrist. Her face contorted in a tightness that showed just how much she was hurting and when she opened her mouth to speak again, she only uttered one word. "Pain."

And then before he could stop her, she reached up with a bloody hand and pulled the stake right out of her chest and dropped it on the floor at her side. Eric watched in horror as the blood started gushing out at a more alarming rate and he did what his first instincts told him to do. He used his hands and placed them right over the gaping hole in her chest and applied pressure to make it stop, but the blood continued to seep out between his fingers, staining his pale white skin. He was both horrified and fascinated when he could feel her heart beat literally right under his hand but that fascination ended when he could feel it almost shudder and then resume its beating, but at a slower pace. One look at Allie's face showed that she had gone pale and her eyes were rolling around, losing focus as she struggled to stay awake.

"No, no. Don't you dare fall asleep. Stay awake." He yelled at her, his hands never moving from the wound as he watched her weakly nod at him to show she was still there but she wouldn't last much longer. He knew he was losing her and he felt an old fear start to creep in but he pushed it aside. He couldn't start letting himself feel that right now. All his focus had to be on keeping her alive.

"Eric." Godric appeared at his side, also kneeling on the floor as his own face twisted in concern at the dying girl in front of them. "You need to heal her. Take her to your office, it's safer there."

"Ok." Was all he could manage to say before ripping his hands off her bloody chest and gathered her up in his arms where she leaned against him lifelessly and he knew if he didn't get blood inside of her then she would die. He wasted no more time and flashed across the room and through the door that lead to the back hallway and then into his office, followed behind by Godric and Pam who shut and locked the door just as he laid Allison's body on the floor and put his hand back on the wound. He looked down at her, relieved that she was still looking at him even though her gaze was heavy. "It's ok baby, I'm going to save you. It's going to be alright."

Eric brought his other wrist to his mouth just as he clicked out his fangs and harshly bit into his skin, trying to make as large a wound as he could. The bigger the wound then the more blood that would flow and that was needed. It would take a lot to heal Allison from this injury. Once the blood started seeping down his arm, he turned back to the girl and placed his wrist against her shaking lips and waited for the feeling of her drinking from him to start. But it never came. She never attached her mouth to his arm to start sucking on the blood and when he looked at her eyes he was panicked to see that they had closed. He yanked his arm away and immediately began shaking her as he did before but her eyes remained closed never opening no matter how hard he moved her. And that's when he felt the true ice cold grasp of death creeping into the room towards them. But he refused to let her meet death all the way, he wasn't going to lose her. Not now, not after everything they had been through.

"No! Don't you dare die on me right now. Do you hear me?" He growled, hoping his words somehow reached through to her and got her to open her eyes one more time just so he knew she was still here with him. "You can't die and leave me here. I refuse to lose you. I'm not...I'm not done loving you yet."

He didn't know if it was the screaming, the shaking or his declaration of his love for her or even just divine intervention, but somehow she managed to force open her eyes and look right up into his face close to death, but still alive. He saw her lips part and once more placed his bleeding wrist against her mouth and although it took a few seconds, he began to feel a small sucking at his skin and he was flooded with relief. She was drinking his blood, he could feel it leaving his body and entering her mouth and he knew she was going to be ok. He was so overcome by relief that he crumbled all the way to the floor and gathered her bloody form in his arms once again as she weakly continued to drink from him. Godric and Pam had kept their distance by the wall by the door but he barely noticed their presence and his only focus was on Allison. He cradled her against his chest, keeping his wrist at her mouth so she could keep drinking his life force that would in turn sustain her own life.

"It's going to be ok. You'll be ok, I'll protect you." He told her, stroking her hair with his hand as he closed his eyes just as the blood started seeping down his face. He didn't care if it looked weak or stupid to his child or his maker. He had been so close to losing her and he knew how devastating that would have been and with her healing, he was allowed to feel the fear that had been threatening to take over him. And when it hit him in full force, he felt like he was being suffocated. He held her tighter to him, needed to constantly reassure himself that she was there. "Don't worry Allison. I'm not going anywhere."

"Eric, you need to get her out of here. She needs more time to heal and to rest." Godric's voice spoke to him as he joined Eric on the floor and he felt his maker's hand on his shoulder and for the first time, he didn't feel the urge to push him away. And instead, Eric turned to look at his maker for guidance. Godric's eyes were drawn to Allison and his young face scrunched up uneasily and it was then that Eric remembered the bond his maker had with Allison and how he was feeling her pain almost as strongly as Allie was experiencing it. Godric broke his gaze and looked at Eric and said "Take her to your house. Pam and I will meet you there. Fly hard and fly fast. We don't know what else is out there."

Eric nodded, not putting up a fight and as soon as Allie had enough blood in her to at least close the wound in her chest, he stood up with her in his arms and shot out the back door and launched himself up into the black night sky and flew away from Fangtasia.

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

I knew when I groggily opened my eyes later that night and my vision was still foggy, I still somehow knew that I was in Eric's bed and that the night's events had lead me here back to this house that I had not been in for over 5 months. But that wasn't the main issue in the forefront right now. Right now, what had happened to me was flooding back to my head and I found myself shooting up into a sitting position with my hands going to my chest to search for the wound that was no longer there. My skin was smooth and taut and showed now sign that there had been a wooden stake shoved deep into my chest. There wasn't even any blood anywhere on me, a clear sign that I had been cleaned before I had woken up and judging by the loose fitting white dress I was wearing, someone had changed my clothes and disposed of the bloody ones. I was perfectly ok, granted I felt a bit disoriented but I was alive and well and I was so relieved to see no lasting damage. And as I looked up to take in my surroundings, the three faces staring back at me were just as relieved as I was.

"Allison." Godric's voice came from my left and I whipped my head to the side to see him sitting down on the bed next to me, a weary but happy look in his eyes as he reached out and grabbed my hands. "Thank god you are ok. We were so worried."

"What happened?" I asked, sitting up further and pushing away the sheets that had been pulled up over me and sat with my legs tucked under me. "After I was hit, I don't remember all that much. The details are kind of hazy. But I heard a lot of yelling."

"That was me." Eric spoke up from the other side of the room where he was sitting in an arm chair hunched over with dried rivers of blood on his face, indicating that he had been crying for god only knows how long. He didn't really meet my eye as he spoke. "You were dying and I had to scream at you to keep you awake."

"I was dying." I whispered, a frown coming over my face as bits and pieces of what happened after I had been staked came back to me and now I was remembering the pain and the how the cloud of death had been looming over me. It was horrible and I shuddered when I thought of how I had almost passed on.

"After you were staked, you started losing a lot of blood and when Eric reached you, you managed to speak to him but then you pulled the stake out of your chest and that's when the real damage started happening." Godric explained, looking like it really pained him to have to recount the details to me. "So Eric got you to the office and that's when he started to heal you. He gave you enough of his blood to close the wound before we all took off for his house, where it would be safer. And since then we were just waiting for you to wake up."

"You healed me." I turned to look at Eric, who had still refused to meet my eyes directly and was just staring at the wall beside the bed, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "Thank you."

"Whatever." He snapped, getting to his feet as his face came alive and before I could utter another word, he was stomping out of the room in huff, slamming the door shut and leaving me alone with Godric and Pam who stared after him in disbelief.

"Um, ok." I said softly, not knowing what else to say after seeing Eric react so bizarrely and felt myself shrink back against the headboard with my knees pulled up to my chest. "He's angry."

"Ignore him, he's just feeling the full brunt of what happened. But he's not angry at you." Godric assured me, taking my hand again with a gentle smile. "He was just scared of losing you. It shook him up badly and he doesn't know how to deal with it."

"I didn't mean to scare him." I replied, feeling bad that I had scared a vampire like Eric to the point where he couldn't even be in the room with me now that I was awake. But I also was secretly loving the fact that he had such a strong reaction to what had happened because it proved that he was still very much in love with me and in a way it was eye opening for me. But I pushed that aside for now, Eric's sadness was the only thing I wanted to think about. "Is he going to be ok?"

"He will and I'll make sure of it." Godric told me before he reached over and places his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. "But right now, all that matters is that you are alive and ok. Everything else can wait."

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"Pam, you keep looking at me like you want to say something." Allison said to her as the two of them gathered in the empty kitchen while Pam was in search of blood and kept on shooting glances at the young Faerie until she finally commented on it and Pam found herself forced to turn around and answer. Allison sat at the table with her hands in her lap and a curious look on her face. "What is it?"

"Look, let's get one thing straight. I rarely ever get in touch with my emotions or ever find myself feeling like I am indebted to someone so to be in that situation now is not easy for me so you better not give me a hard time when I say this." Pam warned her, setting down the bottle of blood she had swiped out of Eric's cabinet and turned to look at the girl with narrowed eyes. She had been trying to find the right way to say what she needed to say ever since Godric had left them alone together but it hadn't felt right. They had just been able to stare at each other without saying a word or making any noise until Pam had said she was getting herself some blood and Allie had followed her down to the kitchen. And since then Pam had been glancing at the brunette from time to time to find the best second to blurt it out and get it over with so she wouldn't have it weighing her down. And right now was as good a time as any. "Thank you."

"For what?" Allison questioned, her lips pressed into a tight line as she honestly appeared confused about what this was getting at.

"Cut the crap, you know what I'm talking about." Pam snapped, stopping herself from rolling her eyes at that very moment. "I'm referring you to saving my life tonight and taking the stake instead. So thank you."

"Really, it was not that big of a deal." She waved her hand like she was officially ending the conversation but Pam wasn't through, she had something to get off her chest and she was going to say whether this girl liked it or not.

"Actually it is a big deal and even I know how seriously bad everything could have gone tonight. And I rarely take things seriously." Pam stated, looking at her her high heeled boots that she was wearing and wishing more then anything she didn't have to say this. But she had to, because after the sacrifice Allison had made, Pam knew that it now set in motion a new relationship between the two of them that had never been there before. "I could have died if you hadn't shoved me away. I would have met the true death and Eric would have lost a child but because of you, none of that happened and you saved us all from a lot more pain then what we felt tonight. And I am forever indebted to you. So just freaking accept my gratitude for what it is and let's move on."

"Alright Pam, I accept your gratitude. Now just stop it with the feeling the emotions thing and go back to how you usually are. I like you better that way." She said with a smile as she ran her hands through her hair. "Although I will tell you this. I think considering the events of tonight, we just might be on the path of becoming friends. And for us, that is not going back to normal."

"You're right about that, even though it pains me to agree with you." Pam smugly shot back as she grabbed the blood and sat at the table with the girl. "But then again, it looks like we might have a battle on our hands with this assassination attempt. So we all need to be on the same side."

"So...friends?" Allison stretched her arm so she could extend her hand to her and Pam only had to hesitate for a second before she accepted it.

"Yea...friends." The female vampire agreed, strongly shaking the girl's hand before letting go with a smirk. "For now..."

"Don't even start fantasizing. It will never happen." Allison warned, this time her being the one who rolled her eyes. "Don't go there."

"Too late." Pam laughed, relieved that she could stop feeling her emotions and go back to a manner of speaking that she was more comfortable with. "It's already unfolding..."

"Pam, leave the room immediately." Eric's voice suddenly joined theirs in the kitchen and once glance found him in the doorway of the room with his hands at his side and a glare on his face. He walked in and pointed out into the hallway. "Leave...now."

"Oh this will be fun to listen to on the other side of the house." Pam joked, grabbing the bottle of blood she had taken and hightailed it out of the room just in time for Eric's voice to start shouting.

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?"

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Stupid...reckless...insane little girl.."

"What would possess you to take such a risk?"

"How could you be so incredibly idiotic?"

"You are just so infuriating with willing to throw your life away like that, without no consideration of anyone else...you were rash, and moronic and just plain crazy."

I just stood there against the kitchen counter and watched as Eric continued to pace back and forth while he yelled at me like he had for the past 20 minutes. I wasn't insulted by anything he was saying because I knew part of it he was only saying out of fear and love and he didn't really mean it to sound as harsh as it did. But another part of me knew that he was right. It was stupid to put my life on the line like that without thinking of taking care of myself. Even though I had no time to think and only time to react, I thought of nothing else but to save Pam rather then myself. And I knew most of the country would say it was absolutely insane to risk my own life just to save a vampire. I could have died and I would have left an unhealed wound in everyone's life if my death had come about. But even knowing that, I still don't think I would have changed anything and I think that's why Eric was so angry at me. He had been so losing to having me die in his arms and that couldn't have freaked him out more. And now that I was alive and standing in front of him, he was taking out his emotions on me and I was just going to take it.

"Are you planning on saying anything?" He asked me, coming to a stop by the table and throwing himself down in the chair I had previously been sitting in when he stormed into the kitchen and he just looked at me with the darkest and most saddest expression in his eyes.

"Yea I do, I was just waiting for you to finally stop screaming at me before I said this..." I stood up straight and walked over to him with my hands tucked under my arms and a determined smile on my lips. He wasn't going to like what I had to say but I was standing by my convictions whether they were right or wrong. "I don't regret saving Pam. Not at all, even with all the pain that came along with it. And I would do it again in a heart beat."

"You almost died in my arms." He said, meeting my face and I was stunned to see just how much sorrow lined the planes of his features. "You almost died because you made a sacrifice for a vampire that would..."

"And like I said, I would do it again." I interrupted, unwrapping my arms from around myself and before I could stop, I grabbed his face between my hands so I could make him understand why I did this. And it took all I had not to start crying. "Eric, I had a better chance at surviving a stake in the chest more then Pam did. Yes, I could have died, but I was still holding on until your blood could heal me. But if I hadn't pushed Pam out of the way and that stake had hit her, then she would just be blood and guts right now. So while yes, I could have lost my life tonight, I still had a better survival chance then her. And I don't regret doing it and I never will. So accept that."

"I still hate that you took that risk and gambled with your life. It could have gone in an entirely different direction." He grumbled, his hands coming up to encircle my wrists as his blue eyes stared into mine and I had the distinct sense that if I could hear his thoughts right now then he would be thinking about how much he wanted to say he loved me. But I didn't have to ask because he told me anyway. "I hate it even more when I thought I was losing you. I can't lose you. I love you too much."

"I know you do. At least, I know that now." I whispered, finally realizing what Sookie and everyone else had been saying all this time. That Eric really had realized his mistake and he did indeed know who he wanted and who he wanted was me. It had always been me. I could see that in his eyes right now and I was being flooded by something at this moment and it wasn't pain. It was...love. And that was why I leaned down and before I could talk myself out of it, I kissed him. I kissed Eric the way I would have kissed him months ago if none of this had ever happened. I kissed him as if we had never been parted in the first place. I kissed him with all the love I could manage to remember and as our bond opened from all of his blood I had ingested, I felt the love he had for me and it nearly crippled me. It was that intense. And when I finally pulled away from him, I leaned my forehead against his and said "And I love you for still being the one who is always saving me."

"Then what does this mean for us?" He asked, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me down into his lap in a way he hadn't done for so long. "Where do we go from here?"

"We take it a step at a time and see where it leads us."

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"You know it's all going to be alright, don't you?" Godric asked his child as he walked into the living room where Eric was sitting alone in front of the fire and took a seat in the chair across from him. He was half expecting Eric to still react with the same kind of fury as he had every time they were near one another but Godric was surprised when Eric just looked at him and shrugged. His posture showed that he was deep in thought over something and couldn't be bothered with fighting any more. And neither could Godric, that part of their lives had to be over. There were more important things to think of and that was Allison. "Allison is fine and everything is going to be ok."

"No it's not. Everything won't be ok because this was a planned attack and not only did Allison sacrifice herself and almost died, but she wasn't even the target. Pam was and if that stake had hit her, she would be gone. So please do not tell me everything is going to be ok. Because we don't know that for sure." Eric rubbed his hands up and down his face as if trying to erase the weary expression he wore. "There is something happening out there Godric. The attack tonight and Allison hearing those thoughts are not coincidence. They are connected. They have to be."

"I agree with you on that. I didn't want to say this before but I think there is a battle starting to brew in the shadows that we might need to start preparing for." Godric told him, fearing the worse about what this statement would mean to their lives. "And I'm afraid it sounds like whoever is behind this is not only targeting Allison, but also vampires."

"Then we have to stop these freaks before anyone seriously gets hurt." Eric said, turning his face upwards so their eyes met and for once there was no hostility directed at Godric. "We need to protect ourselves before this gets worse and you know it will. Incidents like this always have a way of popping up again, it's just a matter of time."

"We will figure it out and exact our revenge. I promise you that." Godric assured him, going against his calm demeanor and taking a different approach. Normally he would have tried a less violent way of solving a problem, but these people had nearly taken Allison's like when they intended to take Pam's. So this was not a time for being calm and collected. They had to find out what was going on and strike back hard. Godric looked at Eric and said. "Whoever these people are, they are not going to get away with hurting one of our own. I will hunt them and rip their heads off if I have to to insure Allison is protected."

"You really do care about her don't you?" Eric asked, his eyes flaring up slightly with jealousy but not nearly as much as there had been before.

"I told you before Eric that she was my friend and I intend to do whatever I could to make sure she is always safe." Godric spoke softly, turning his attention to the dancing flames. "And that's what I am going to do."

"So I guess this means you're not leaving after all." Eric replied, also setting his focus on the fire and sat there with his arms on his knees and his back hunched over. "You're staying?"

"I have to. I can't leave when there is a flame of violence being fanned. Besides, Allison needs me." He told his child, knowing there was no possible way he could disappear now. Not when it looked like there was an attack looking over them. "And I think you need me too."

"I can't protect her without you." Eric retorted with a deep sigh that went right through Godric and he looked at his child at the same time Eric looked at him. And there was something in those familiar blue eyes that gave Godric hope that this was the moment he had been praying for. "I can't do this on my own. I need you with me."

"I'm here for you Eric. I have been, always." He wanted the former viking to know, staring deep into the face he had been with for 1,000 years. "And I want us to put aside our differences once and for all and at least try to be the way we used to be. If you and I can't work together then we are all doomed. And you need to know it was never my intention to hurt you the way I did. I honestly thought it was the best way to handle things."

"You still should have told me. I had a right to know." Eric shot back, the hurt still evident in his voice as he continued to look into the fireplace. But there was resolved expression that now took place over his face and he cocked his head to the side and said. "I guess its time that we stop living in the past and attempt to make a better future."

"You know...i was thinking the same thing."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"Oh man, I need about a hundred years worth of sleep to get over the shocking turn of events from tonight." I mumbled to myself as I sat down on the old sofa in my empty living room and laid my head in my arms on top of my knees and sighed.

It had been a long and emotional few hours and I just wanted some peace after having convinced Godric and Eric that I would be fine on my own. And they both agreed to it only after accompanying me home as my bodyguards where Eric did not let go of me once on the drive here and Godric would occasionally throw knowing glances our way as if he wanted to comment on it. And then Eric would smirk back at him, their previous state of animosity seemingly vanished and a peace truce was established between them to which I was thrilled about. Somehow and someway they had come together again after weeks of fighting and I couldn't have been more happy. Granted the night had been horrible and scary and full of pain that I never wanted to relieve, but it still brought about three very important things. Pam and I had made peace and looked like we could actually be friends. Godric and Eric were back together and it seemed like Eric and I too were on the track to returning to our previous blissful relationship that while still had its share of problems, it was full of love and I couldn't ask for more. I didn't know exactly what Eric and I were after night, but I had a feeling that it was leaning toward pushing us back in each others lives and I was happy about that, I really was. But there would be a time to figure it all out tomorrow. Right now I was going to go up to my room and fall asleep without any more distractions.

And I would have done that had it not been for the ringing of my door bell at that very second. I groaned out loud, wondering who the hell would be trying to visit at this hour and thankful that Sookie wasn't home to be woken up by this. With my luck it was probably going to be Sam trying to make yet another sad attempt at redemption. I flipped the light on and despite what had already happened that night, I threw caution to the wind and opened the door without peeking the curtains to check that it wasn't an enemy and I was stunned down to my very core when I saw who it was. A figure dressed in black that I never thought I would ever see again. A figure that made my heart jump into my throat.

"Damon?"

**A/N: i know i know...how mean of me to leave it there...but damon salvatore has come to Bon Temps! and we all can guess where this is going to lead. DRAMA!**


	11. Upside down again

**Chapter 11 Upside down again**

"What in the hell are you doing here?" I barely managed to get that one sentence out as I stepped on to the front porch and continued to stare at him in utter shock with my jaw practically hanging down to the ground by my feet.

"What? Not happy to see me?" Damon answered in his typical fashion that had not at all been lost in the time we were apart. In fact, the second I had opened the door and found him out here, it was like we had never even said goodbye and like no time had passed at all. But that wasn't the case. We had said goodbye and rather harshly as I remembered and over a month had passed since we last laid eyes on each other. And then out of the blue, he just shows up at my house with no warning and I couldn't help but feel suspicious about why he was here.

"Why are you here?" I asked again, feeling my face turn into a frown as I stepped back from him with my arms crossed around me. "I haven't seen you since you told me there was never anything between us and you made it very clear that I meant nothing to you. So I have to wonder what the hell you are doing on my porch at this hour."

"You don't waste a second do you?" Damon's handsome face twisted into that sexy little smirk he used to always use on me that I at one point found charming but now I just found obnoxious. I wasn't going to be fooled by his little tricks anymore. He couldn't seduce me with his sexy ways if that was what he came here for. I had been willing to give him a shot and he had passed it up, so I wasn't going to allow myself to be vulnerable again, at least not quite as easily.

"Either tell me why you are here or I am going back inside." I warned him, tapping my foot rapidly on the porch so he knew I was serious. I wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. I had had a long and tiring night and I wanted to go to sleep, but I couldn't do that until I got answers. "Well..."

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, tilting his head to the side so his dark hair fell across his forehead. "I came to see you. I haven't been able to get you out of my head since you left."

"And you couldn't have called first to warn me of your impending arrival?" I asked with narrowed eyes. "You just had to show up and surprise me like this?"

"Too much?"

"Uh yea. Especially at this hour when it could have been anyone and people who show up at 3 in the morning never have good intentions. Including you." I shook my head at the stupidity of vampires. They never seemed to grasp the concept that dropping by unannounced at early morning hours was never a good idea. And in fact it was creepy. "So if you came here just to toy with me again then you are wasting your time."

"I didn't come here for that. I came here to basically say that I was an idiot and that you were right the whole time we were involved. There was something between us. I just couldn't face it." He admitted with a shrug of his leather jacket covered shoulders as his answer went right through me. Was he for real? He couldn't admit to caring for me then, but he could do it now? Damon caught my gaze and he must have sensed I was doubtful because he continued speaking. "I spent a majority of my vampire life cutting myself off from my emotions and then you come along and I start to not have control over that part of myself anymore. And that scared the crap out of me."

"And you couldn't have told me before? You don't think I would have understood and given you more time to get used to it?" I questioned, fighting the urge to throw my arms up in frustration. I was tired of having things sprung on me like this and Damon being here and telling me all this now was just ridiculous. "Damon you made me think that I was nothing to you and that you were just using me for entertainment..."

"That was a lie. I never thought of you as anything less then this girl I started falling for. And I only told you that, because I wanted you to hate me so you would leave and I could hopefully forget about you. And then maybe I could start closing off my emotions again." He explained, leaning against the side of the house while he looked at me.

"And did it work?" I wondered out loud, tugging on my long hair as I always did when I was nervous and I was certainly nervous now. I didn't know what to expect. "Did you ever stop feeling after I left?"

"No. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't put that wall back up again. It seemed like once I let those feelings in, they were impossible to hide away. And so they festered until I had no choice but to acknowledge them and the truth." He shifted around, clearly uncomfortable with what he was saying but he still forced it out which I appreciated. He had spent so much time not saying how he felt so the fact that he was standing here telling me this even though he was uneasy, it meant something to me. "I was missing you more then I had ever missed anyone. And that in turn made me feel incredibly stupid about how I acted and I regret not telling you how I felt when I had the chance. And more importantly, I had to make the choice to come here and tell you in person."

"Tell me what exactly?" I stood still, not expecting him to say anything truly shock worthy. But like I have been many times before, I was proven wrong. Because I had barely looked up into his face again only to see him right in front of me and before I could protest, his hands were up and cupping my face so gently that I couldn't even find the urge to fight him off. "Damon what..."

"I think I'm in love with you." He said bluntly and without any hesitation whatsoever and if I thought I could never be shocked at anything that came out of Damon's mouth then I was so utterly wrong. Because this declaration was certainly shock worthy, mostly because I never in a million years thought he would even admit that he liked me, let alone confess that he might be in love with me. And I didn't know how I felt about that. But he obviously knew how he felt because the confessions kept coming. "I miss you so much. And I thought I could just push you away until you really did mean nothing to me. But that didn't happen and it all became so clear to me. I love you. And I came here to get you back."

"Oh my god you are completely serious aren't you?" I didn't think my mouth could hang open any more then it already was but his blunt confession did just that. I couldn't even really manage to respond too well after that because I was just too stunned to process this. "Oh boy...oh boy..oh boy.."

"Didn't think I would say it did you?" He smirked, letting go of my face and put a respectable amount of distance between us before he spoke again. "Freaked out huh?"

"Just a little bit." I nodded, twisting my fingers around each other. "I mean, when I left Mystic Falls I was determined to forget about what happened between us because I knew it could never become anything more since you made it clear that it was impossible. So I put you in this box in the back of my head, figuring that you would always be there and could never bother me again. And now you show up and say all the things that I wanted to hear from you for months and that blows the lid off the box and frankly I don't know what to think."

"I can still throw shockers around with the best of them." He said teasingly with his eyebrows raised. "And I knew this would be hard to believe, which is why I didn't call you. This sort of thing can't really be said over the phone."

"I agree." I replied quietly, pressing my hands to the side of my head as I struggled to make sense of what was going on in my head. But truthfully, I didn't know what I was thinking or feeling. I had come back home thinking that the only vampire I would have to deal with romantically was Eric, and now Damon was here also professing his love and it just made my entire world go upside down again. My brain was one big scrambled mess and I was confused beyond all hell. And there was no way I could figure this out now when already so much had happened. "Look, I'm a little overwhelmed right now by all this honesty and I need some time to think it over."

"I can give you that." He nodded, running his fingers through his dark hair causing him to look more brooding and sexy then he was before. " I will come back at night and we can talk more. But right now, I need to seek shelter, it's almost dawn."

"Yea, that's probably a good idea. You don't want to fry into a pile of ashes on my porch." I tried to laugh and make the situation not as tense as it felt to me but I couldn't pull it off. I just did not have the strength right now. "I guess I will just say goodbye and see you later."

"You can count on it." Damon agreed with a determined smile and then he stepped forward again and when he leaned down close to me, I thought for sure that he was going to kiss me. But he didn't. Instead he simply pressed his lips against my cheek and whispered "I'll be seeing you."

And then just like that, he stepped down the porch steps and was zooming off towards the road, leaving behind a dust cloud in his wake. I just stood there and watched him go while my jaw hung open wide as it had when I first opened the door and laid eyes on him. And when the dust settled and all was quiet again, I was able to start moving again and everything seemed so normal, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But the proof was there on my cheek as I could still feel Damon's lips on my skin.

* * *

><p><em><span>The next afternoon<span>_

"Um Sookie? You have a visitor." Lafayette announced to her from across the almost empty main floor of Merlotte's where she had been cleaning off one of the tables to prepare it for the next influx of customers. But as soon as Lafayette alerted her to the presence of someone looking for her, she stopped what she was doing and immediately looked up to see something she never thought she would see here again. Allison was walking through the front door of the bar for the first time since she had come back and making a bee line for her with an unreadable expression on her face that said something was wrong even though her face was steady.

"Allie what's …." Sookie began to ask her cousin what she was doing here but she never got to finish because Allie walked right up to her and grabbed her arm before proceeding to drag her back towards the door. "Allie, what the hell? I have tables to clear."

"This is more important." The brunette stated with an edge to her voice that had not been present since before she left town. And with the return of this tone, it made Sookie grow concerned that something really bad had happened. And that was the main reason she allowed the small girl to pull out into the parking lot and over to where her car was parked before letting go of her arm and facing her with clenched hands. "I didn't get the chance to tell you about anything that happened last night because it was so late but I have to tell you now."

"Um, ok. Go ahead." Sookie urged her, knowing that Allison wouldn't just show up at the bar and yank her outside unless something was the matter. But what Allie had to say was not something she was expecting at all.

"Damon showed up at the house last night." The younger Stackhouse blurted out in a rush like it had been building up for longer then just 12 hours. And it was just as shocking as it would have been if it had happened longer ago then just the early morning hours. "I got home and was about to go up to bed when the doorbell rang and there he was out on the porch. No call, no warning, no nothing."

"Oh my god." Sookie felt her hand come up to cover her mouth as she stared at her cousin in disbelief. Allie had told her about Damon and their involvement as it had unfolded when she had been in Mystic Falls and Sookie had been under the impression that it had all ended before she came home. But with Damon showing up out of nowhere, it said that it wasn't over by a long shot. Sookie looked at Allison and asked. "Why didn't you wait up to tell me? If something this big had happened to me I would have forgotten about going to sleep and waited until you got home."

"I would have stayed up because I did need someone to talk to, but I was so damn tired because Damon's surprise visit wasn't the only big thing that happened last night. Something happened when I went to Fangtasia last night, something bad." Allison explained, biting down on her bottom lip as she spoke. "I went there because Pam needed my help to pull Godric and Eric apart and it was less then 10 minutes after I got there when...I was staked."

"I'm sorry. I must have hallucinated. Did you say you were staked?" Sookie asked in clarification as the whole idea seemed a bit too insane to be the truth. But one look in Allie's eyes said that she was completely serious and this event was no joke and that she had indeed suffered through the pain of being staked. This was when Sookie felt all the blood drain from her face as realization hit her and she reached out and grabbed Allie's arms. "Oh my god, what the hell happened?"

"It's ok, I'm alright now. There's no damage to me, I promise." Allison said quickly, seeming to understand that assurance needed to be made about her physical state before she dove into the explanation phase. "Like I said, Pam needed help with Godric and Eric but I couldn't get through to them so we just decided to let them scream it out. And I was standing next to Pam when I heard the thoughts of a human somewhere outside that was planning on shooting a stake through the window to kill her. He kept on thinking that he had the perfect aim on her..."

"Oh dear god." Sookie's grip got tight as she listened to this, horrified that something bad was happening again.

"And when I heard this, I threw my hands up to push her out of the way so she wouldn't be hurt. And before I could get down myself, the stake came through the window and hit me in the chest. And I started bleeding immediately." Allie's voiced wobbled in the slightest as she recounted this and Sookie could see in her eyes just how much it must have hurt, but she tried not to dwell on that as Allie continued her explanation. "I pulled the stake out myself and Eric took me to his office to heal me and I was able to drink his blood long enough to heal the wound before he took me to his house with Pam and Godric. And I guess he finished healing me there because I woke up and felt perfectly fine."

"I cannot believe you would risk your life like that, you stupid little girl." Sookie couldn't stop herself from shaking her cousin for her idiotic reactions in these types of situations. "Do you always have to do the right thing, even when it means sacrificing yourself?"

"I thought I would have time to get out of the way, but I couldn't let Pam get hurt. She would have died more easily then me from a stake in the chest." Allie's hands reached up and grasped her shoulders while she smiled gently. "But I'm ok now. Eric gave me enough blood to heal me completely, so it's all good. And now he and Godric are going to work together to figure out who is behind this. So in a way it still turned out well. Godric and Eric are back together and even Pam and I have an understanding."

"You still got hurt and I'm still upset about that." Sookie huffed, letting go of her cousin and stepping back with her arms crossed. "But I should just be concentrating on the fact that you are ok now instead of what could have happened. And I should probably thank Eric for what he did."

"He would have done it anyway and we both know it." The brunette said with confidence as they both stood there in silence for a minute. "He loves me and I still love him. And after what happened tonight, I almost thought we were on our way to going back to how it used to be. Not right away of course, but eventually we might be able to get to that point. And I would still be thinking that if it wasn't for Damon showing up at the very end of the night. Damn him."

"Why did he have to come to the house that late?" Sookie wondered, willing to abandon the topic of the staking for now as it was too horrible to continue talking about. And now just focus on the arrival that clearly had shaken up Allison more then she had originally thought when she came storming into the bar less then 10 minutes ago. "What was so important that it couldn't wait until tonight?"

"He told me that he loved me." Allie retorted, a look of shock on her face that was reflecting the one on Sookie's face. "He said he came here to get me back. And that he regretted not doing anything about it when he had the chance."

"Holy cow." Sookie mumbled in surprise, running her hands through her hair halfheartedly as she thought of what the repercussions this new situation was going to bring her poor cousin. It was obvious that the girl still carried a major torch for Eric Northman and Sookie knew they would have gotten back together eventually after they settled their issues. But now that Damon was here, from what Allie had told Sookie about him, it was evident that the brunette was also very attracted to the younger vampire. And so much so that she now appeared confused and Sookie couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "What are you going to do?"

" I have no idea."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"We have a problem." Bill's voice was the first thing to break the silence I had created as I paced back and forth in the living room as I had been doing for the past 40 minutes that night and I only stopped when he and Sookie came through the door looking worried and scared and that immediately put me on alert. I stopped in the middle of the carpet, almost tripping over my too long sweatpants and looked to them with a frown as Sookie came over to me while Bill stood in the corner by the window and peered out into the front yard. "There's a vampire out there that's watching the house."

"If this vampire was something to worry about, wouldn't it have attacked when you two were coming towards the house?" I asked, glancing at my cousin as I went to stand next to Bill who was motioning for me to stay out of sight. "Come on, don't you think something would have been done instead of the vampire just standing out there?"

"He's probably biding his time until he can strike. Or he's waiting for backup." Bill muttered, looking at both Sookie and I with a protective expression as he contemplated what to do. "Perhaps I should call Godric and Eric for assistance."

"I don't think that's necessary." I quickly said, not wanting to bring Eric anywhere near me right now until it was needed and I moved over to Bill's side again to peer around the edge of the curtain out into the yard. It didn't take long for me to spot the figure watching the house and when I did I started laughing and stood up to face Bill and Sookie while trying not to basically laugh in their faces. "Relax guys, he's not an enemy. I know him. He's the vampire I was telling you about this whole time Sookie."

"Wait a second." Sookie frowned, holding up one finger as she too immediately sprinted towards the other window to stare at the vampire who was staring at us and she cocked her head to the side with interest. "That's the vampire you've been making out with while you were gone?"

"Yup." I nodded, smiling when I saw her focus drawn back to the outside and her eyes studied him with renewed curiosity. It was funny to me and I had to look at him again too. "That's Damon Salvatore."

"Wow..." Sookie pressed her lips together and set one hand on her hip as she continued to observe Damon who was now giving us a weird look. But that didn't stop Sookie from saying what she said next. "Nice job. He's hot."

"Sookie!" Bill exclaimed, his jaw falling open slightly as she said this and he actually looked jealous at her statement.

"What?" She turned to look up at him innocently and shrugged. "I'm just making an observation."

"You two are a riot." I rolled my eyes at the pair and stepped aside to head to the front door. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Can I come?" Sookie asked hopefully with a teasing smile shot over her shoulder at Bill as I pulled open the door and stepped outside quickly before either of them could offer up any kind of resistance.

Damon was still standing in the middle of the lawn when I got out on the porch and I waved my hand at him to show it was ok for him to approach me and within two seconds he was standing only a few feet away, looking just as hot as Sookie had said just moments ago. Still dressed in black and in his leather jacket, he looked every bit of the bad ass vampire that he was except that I knew better then to trust that persona. Even after the way we had parted, I still could see the good in him. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't still attracted to him.

"So...your cousin thinks I'm hot huh?" Damon smirked, crossing his arms as I forgot that he was able to hear everything that was said inside the house. That was the thing about vampires, they had incredible hearing. "Glad to know I still have that effect on women."

"You haven't changed in the least bit." I had to laugh because the things that came out of his mouth were sounding so much like the things Eric would say, but they weren't as annoying when they were coming out of Damon's mouth. "You still are the same arrogant vampire you were back in Mystic Falls. So I guess things haven't changed."

"Some things have." He said seriously, his blue orbs catching mine and holding my gaze with more intensity then he had used when we were together. He reached out his hand and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear before saying "I was serious when I said I loved you and that I was going to fight for you. I'm going to hold true to that."

"Oddly enough, I believe you." I told him, still surprised myself that I took his words to be genuine. But with all the thinking I had done since I last saw him, and the more I just thought about the effort he made in simply coming here, I knew it said a lot about the changes he was making for himself. And I appreciated that because the last thing I needed right now was another vampire playing games with me so for me to be assured that he wasn't doing that was a great relief for me. But it still didn't make anything clear. And I had to tell him that. "But I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know what I want right now because things are very confusing with Eric and even more now that you are here. So I can't even really process my feelings so quickly. It's going to take time."

"Time is something I can give you." He said with a wicked little grin as he motioned for me to sit down on the bench against the side of the house and I did. He sat next to me and placed his hands on his knees lightly. "Take as long as you need to figure it out. I plan on sticking around for a while to fight for you just like I said. So time has no meaning for me."

"Ok, maybe I was wrong about you." I pointed out, knowing how much surprise was still in my voice but I couldn't help that. Damon was one of those vampire who was so set in his ways that you couldn't imagine them being any different. But Damon was different and although I was going to have to get used to it, I already knew I liked this side of him. "You have definitely changed."

"Your absence did that to me." He replied almost shyly and he actually looked away from me as he appeared uncomfortable which I found so utterly adorable. "With you gone, it dawned on me that for me to be around you again, I had to be a better person, a better man for you."

"Oh my god. You're making it very hard to keep things fair and even when you say things like that." I commented sending a smile his way. "You're way too charming for your own good."

"I don't know about charming, but I will do whatever I have to do to get you back." He said with a shrug, tucking his hands under his arms and tilted his head back against the house with a sigh. "I'm not about to play fair. Not when it comes to you."

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but it's not going to be so simple." I explained honestly, not wanting to hide anything. Things were already complicated enough without not having all the cards on the table. And I didn't want him to think that he was just going to waltz in and everything was going to be ok just because he said a few things that made me swoon. "You kind of hurt my feelings when you told me to get out of your life. So it's going to take a lot of effort on your part before I even consider letting you back in."

"I'm always up for a challenge." He grinned at me and then proceeded to tap me on the arm with his elbow. "Which brings me to my next question."

"And what would that be?" I wondered what he could possibly want to know now.

"When do I get to meet your asshole of an ex?"

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"Why did I agree to come here after what happened last night?" I grumbled to myself as I stared up at the building with its blinking red lights and line of people snaking around the front of it waiting to go in and just sighed. I must have had a death wish by showing up at Fangtasia not even 24 hours after I had been shot in the chest with a stake. By all means I should have just stayed at home with Sookie, Bill and even Damon. But after talking to the older Salvatore brother and hearing him mention Eric, I knew I had to get up and come here and tell Eric about Damon before he found out by chance and I certainly did not want that. If I kept it a secret and he showed up when Damon was there and I hadn't told him, then things would get very messy. But if was upfront about it then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Being honest was better then being secretive, so that's why I started walking towards the front door, bypassing the line and heading right for the tall female vamp who was guarding the door.

"Well look at what we have here, my guardian angel dressed in black. So nice to see you my dear." Pam's observant eye looked me up and down and took in the black jeans and black lace camisole I was wearing under my black jacket and finally met my eyes and I wasn't surprised at all to see her fangs glaring down at me. "I assume you're looking for my maker."

"You assume right." I wrapped my arms around myself as I started receiving dirty looks from the people in the line on the side of the building and just focused on Pam. "Is he here?"

"He is actually talking with Godric in his office and for once they haven't screamed at each other. So I guess things are back to normal for them, thank God." Pam looked elated at this and I was too. I had been fearful that after last night then things would quickly slide back to the hostile relationship they had since coming back. But I was relieved to hear that it hadn't. "You can go back and see them if you want."

"Thanks." I waved at her before quickly walking around passing through the doorway despite the protests from the angry people still waiting.

But their voices fell away as I entered the hustle and bustle of the bar and was glad to see that things were busy. That mean there was a lot of income being brought in tonight and that meant Eric would be in an especially good mood tonight. And that was essential when I spoke to him. So I ignored the curious looks from vampires and humans alike and just walked through the crowd of bodies and disappeared behind the door that lead to Eric's office. I scurried through the dark hallway, hearing both his voice and Godric's voice coming from the room and saw that the door was open slightly. I walked up to it and I knew they had heard my footsteps because they stopped talking and I took that moment to push open the door and walk in.

"Allison!" Godric was the first of the two to address me when I came in and he walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my body in a friendly way and as I hugged him back I still saw the look of jealousy pass through Eric's face. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I kind of have something to tell Eric." I said, looking around Godric's shoulder to where the viking was sitting behind his desk watching us curiously. "We need to talk."

"It sounds serious." He answered back with a frown getting up from his chair and coming around to where Godric and I stood and placed his hands on my shoulders and looked at me worriedly. "Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that." I shook my head, immediately touched that he was already thinking the worse and looking worried about it. "It's kind of a more personal matter."

"And with that note, I think I will be taking my leave." Godric announced, stepping back and headed towards the door but I quickly reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"No, you should really stay." I insisted, pulling on him to let him know I was serious and really just needing him to be here when I told Eric the news. If Eric freaked out then maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Godric was in the room. Besides, in a way he should know this as well. "You should hear this too."

"Ok, now I'm getting nervous." Eric's frown deepened and he moved back to sit on the edge of his desk. "What's this about?"

"Um, well I sort of had a visitor after you guys dropped me off last night. And he came by again tonight and I just wanted to let you know so you heard it from me." I say Eric's nostrils flare at the mention of the word 'him' and I knew this was going to be a case of him being territorial. Sure he may have claimed me, but I was still my own person and I wanted to tell him about this potential new suitor on my own terms. So I looked at both him and Godric before I said. "Damon Salvatore is in town. He's the vampire that came to see me."

"Damon? Really?" Godric glanced at Eric before turning towards me with a smile that I knew was forced. "What's he doing out of Mystic Falls?"

"He says that he came here to tell me what he couldn't tell me before." I looked down at my feet, not able to look either of them in the eye as I said this. It was hard enough to get the words out while Eric was standing less then 3 feet away but if I was looking at him then I would never be able to say it. "He came to tell me that he was in love with me and that he was going to fight to get me back."

"Oh really?" Eric's voice was dangerously dark as he responded and already I could feel his fury through our bond and I knew even then that it was not going to end well.

"And I just wanted to let you know so you didn't think I was hiding anything." I said, chancing it and looking up to meet his face which proved to be a mistake because his eyes narrowed into slits and I could sense that his temper was going to flare up over this. But I wasn't sorry for bringing it up. I didn't want to lie about it. "I just wanted to be honest."

"Oh...you were honest alright. To the point where I now want to hunt him down and rip his head off." Eric threatened, his fists curling over the papers on his desk top and Godric actually moved me back away from him, probably thinking that Eric was going to lunge at me but he didn't. Instead, he set his eyes on me and in a a quiet voices asked. "But it doesn't mean anything right? Him showing up to get you back doesn't change things with us does it?"

"Eric I do love you, but I also care about him too. I mean he was there for me when you broke my heart and those feelings are coming back to the surface." I admitted, hating that he was looking at me the way he was, like I was the one betraying him this time around. But I refused to feel bad about it because feeling bad would mean I had done something wrong and I hadn't. I was just refusing to keep this hidden. If I ended up choosing Eric then I wanted to come about it knowing I was completely honest with myself and those around me. "I can't tell you it doesn't mean anything because...I just don't know."

"Get out." Was all Eric said to me when I had finished talking and his reply was not what I was expecting.

"Eric, I'm just being honest and you can't fault me for that." I stood in front of his desk as he walked back around it and dropped down into the chair again. "Would you rather I didn't tell you and you found out by chance?"

"I said get out. I don't want to see you right now." He growled, his tone going icy and quiet which was the worst kind.

"She's just being honest with you Eric. There's no reason to get angry." Godric was always playing the voice of reason, knowing Eric's behavior better then I ever could being as they had 1000 years together. His hold on my tightened, ready to throw me out of harms way if needed. "Please don't speak to her like..."

"I mean it. Get out of this office before I do something I regret and you know quite well what I'm capable of." Eric practically stared a hole right through me, his face blank but his eyes showing just how deeply offended he was by what I had told him even though it had not been my intention at all. I watched as he pointed to the door and again said. "Get out."

"Eric.." Godric began to warn, looking like he wanted to be the one to start yelling but grabbed on to him to stop him. These two had just sorted things out and their relationship was very much on fragile ground and the last thing they needed was to go back to yelling and screaming. I couldn't have that. It took them this long just to talk normally and I wouldn't have that ruined on my account.

"It's ok Godric. I was going to go anyway." I assured him with a smile and squeezed his hand softly before letting go. "Good night."

"Good night Allison." Godric said pleasantly but he shot a glare over at Eric who just stared down at his desk and ignored me even as I passed him to go out the door. I just sighed and waved at Godric before leaving the room and entering the dark hallway feeling all the air go out of me.

I knew I would really cry tonight, but not here. I refused to let loose with my emotions when I was in such close proximity with those two vampires. I would wait until I got home and in my bed before I cried. But with the lone tear already rolling down my face, I knew I would be lucky if I made it to my car before I started sobbing. At least then I would have privacy. So I hurried through the hallway and dashed back through the busy main floor and out passed Pam who called out to me but I didn't stop to talk. I just dug out my keys and let myself into my car and slammed the door shut before turning the engine on and zooming as fast as I could out of the parking lot, determined to leave this horrible night behind me.


	12. The first wave

**Chapter 12 The first wave **

"Allie! Good thing you're home. There's something you have to see." Sookie said excitedly as soon as I walked in the front door and slid off my shoes just in time for her to come running into the front hallway as I prepared to head upstairs to my room for the rest of the night but she wouldn't let me and instead grabbed my arm and yanked me back down. "You can't go upstairs, you have to come see something right now."

"Sookie, I'm really not in the mood right now. I just came from Fangtasia and now Eric's pissed at me and I would really just like to go to bed and forget about this whole night." I grumbled as she pulled me through the house like a child on Christmas morning. And I tried to not be too annoyed but I really wasn't up for whatever it was she wanted to show me. I was feeling crummy about what had happened in Eric's office and I had barely managed to hold it together long enough to drive home. And as soon as I got inside I wanted to just run up to my room and lock myself in so I could cry it out till morning. But Sookie was obviously waiting for my return for an important reason and the longer I resisted the longer I would be kept from feeling sorry for myself. So I was just going to go along with it. I was a little curious at this point. "Can't you just tell me what it is?"

"I can't because I don't understand it and he didn't explain it to me." Sookie replied, letting go of my arm and led me towards the kitchen and ultimately the back door that led to the porch, but I stopped her before she could open the door.

"What do you mean he?" I frowned, picking up on that one word and my head instantly went on alert for something that I couldn't quite figure out.

"Damon of course." Sookie turned to look at me with a knowing grin. "He disappeared while you were talking to Eric and then he came back with something and all he said was that you would know what it meant."

"He brought me something?" I didn't quite know what to make of this turn of events and just allowed Sookie to open the back door and push me out onto the porch before she pointed off to the side. I followed where her finger was directing my eye sight until my attention focused on a small potted plant sitting against the railing. But upon closer inspection, I saw that it wasn't a plant at all. And when I picked it up, I felt a grin uncurl across my face as I turned back to my cousin who was still looking confused. "I can't believe he got me this."

"I don't get it." Sookie scratched her head thoughtfully while pressing her lips together in a thin line. "Why would he get you a cherry blossom tree? What's that suppose to mean?"

"It's my favorite tree." I said with a growing smile as I set the pot down on the small table and touched the small pink petals with my fingers tips with a happy sigh. "I can't believe he actually remembered that conversation."

"What conversation?" Sookie wanted to know as I leaned back against the railing with my arms crossed just as the memory started filling my head again and I sent Sookie a nod to let her know it was ok for her to look in. So it wasn't long until both of us were seeing the memory play out before our eyes.

_Flashback_

_"I don't get why you are suddenly smiling after you have been sulking all night long." Damon said to me with a curiously looking frown on his face as he watched me stare down at the magazine in my lap with the same ridiculous smile that had been present for the last 15 minutes. He slide down to the floor next to me and grabbed the magazine out of my hands and observed it for a minute before turning to me and asking. "Are you going to make sense of this for me?"_

_"It just brought back a nice memory from my childhood that's all." I told him, tucking my hair behind my ears with a shrug. "It reminds me of my parents."_

_"Why is that?" He questioned, genuinely wanting to know._

_"Because I remember my dad giving my mom a cherry blossom tree for her birthday after they had gotten into a fight. And he gave it to her to make things better and because it was her absolute favorite tree and she always said things would be better after getting one. And my dad remembered that conversation and that really touched her because I remember seeing her cry." I explained, thinking back to that scene of when I saw my dad showing the tree to my mom and seeing her get all teary eyed before throwing her arms around him for a hug. It was quite possibly the sweetest thing I could remember about them and here I was sharing it with the most unlikely of people. "And since then, I have always loved cherry blossom trees. It's just one of those things that always makes me smile."_

_"Your dad actually gave a tree to your mom as an apology?"Damon raised his eyebrows at me almost as if he were about to mock me for this. "Are you for..."_

_"Don't even go there because I know what you're going to say and I do not want to hear it." I pointed my finger right in his face to bring his remark to a crushing halt. "I don't care if you think it's dorky and stupid. It was sweet and I won't have you give me a hard time about it."_

_"It's just odd to me that people actually do that." He muttered and then fell silent for a minute before picking up on the vibe that I was offended by the fact that he was going to tease me about it, and he surprised me by putting his arm around my shoulders and using his hand to pull my face around towards his. I had barely met his eyes when he spoke again. "Look, I'm sorry for what would have been a smart ass remark. I'm trying to watch what I say when I'm around you because it doesn't always come across as playful and I don't want to hurt your feelings."_

_"No worries. I stopped you before you got to that point." I smiled sweetly up at him, touched that he was admitting that he had faults because that was very rare for a man and a vampire to do. "It's all good."_

_"Still, I will keep this in mind and the next time I really mess up, I will go out and send you a cherry blossom tree. I won't forget about this..."_

_End flashback_

"Wow, that was actually really sweet to see you telling him about your mom and dad." Sookie said as the memory ended and we both refocused on each other and this time she was also smiling just as brightly as I was. "And I can't believe he actually stuck to his promise and sent you the tree. That's so incredibly cute."

"I can't believe he actually remembered that conversation at all." I mumbled, touching the thin branches with my fingers and I couldn't help but feel a urge of affection for the dark haired vampire. "Damon has certainly changed since I last time I saw him. And I think it's for the better."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

"You know, we need to talk about how you treated Allison last night." Godric said the minute he walked into Eric's home and found the viking sprawled out on the carpet in front of the fire just staring up at the ceiling with a permanent frown on his face that had been identical to the one that had been there the night before when Allison had come to tell them both about Damon. And even after she left, his child was still walking around with the look of a vampire ready to kill someone. Which was why Godric had thought it was for the best if he didn't push Eric on talking about his behavior right out of the gate. Because forcing Eric to talk when he was that mad was only going to bring more trouble then could be handled right now. So Godric let it slide for the rest of the night and allowed Eric to behave in whatever manner he chose. At least until now when Godric would have no choice but to bring it up and hope that Eric would go and fix things with the woman that he loved. Because despite how Eric had spoken to her, Godric knew his child was only acting like this because he was hurt and feeling threatened by Damon. So he sat down in a chair nearby and leaned forward with his arms on his knees before he addressed his child. "I don't like how you talked to her. You hurt her feelings when you told her to get out and she was only trying to be honest with you."

"Godric, I really don't want to hear about this right now." Eric shot back, not even bothering to lift his head when he spoke and just kept his eyes on the ceiling. "My head is already filled with enough shit and I don't need your disappointment in me to get shoved in there."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just trying to make you see that your reaction hurt her and I know you never want to do that." Godric said, watching as Eric sat up and moved over until his back was against the wall before he spoke again. "You really ought to go see her and apologize."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I was suppose to be the only vampire involved in her life." Eric snapped, his blue eyes flaring up with an anger that was akin to the fury that had been present the night before. "She was never supposed to have fallen for someone else and she should have left him there. And now she brought this asshole Damon between us and I'm really pissed off right now."

"You need to calm down and stop making up these elaborate ideas in your head." Godric pointed out, fighting the urge to laugh because Eric's behavior was just so out of control. He was acting like a jealous boyfriend and it was only him that was in the way of him getting what he wanted. Godric was certain that if Eric wanted to, he would win over Allison in a heartbeat and Damon wouldn't stand a chance. But first Eric needed to get his head out of his ass. "Damon came here on his own accord ok? Allison did not ask him to do it. She didn't try to make everything fall apart on purpose. She just wanted to be honest with you. So there is no reason for you to still be mad at her."

"But I am." Eric growled, sending a glare down at the floor as if it were responsibly for the problems in his life. "I'm still furious."

"But why?"

"Because someone else is in love with her, that's why." Eric hissed, his tone coming out harshly from between his two extended fangs. "She was suppose to come back to me and now someone else is trying to take her away."

"You're jealous. And it's natural." Godric chimed in with an easy going smile that he hoped would bring peace to Eric's obvious fragile mental state. He knew Eric was tormented by the arrival of Damon, but like he was thinking before, Eric could easily win Allison's heart if he would just try. "I've never seen you this ravaged by jealousy.."

"I'm not jealous. I'm pissed off." Eric shouted, grabbing a fire poker from the hearth and throwing it across the room where it struck a wall and remained there while Godric just shook his head in disbelief at Eric's sudden actions.

"Ok, you're not jealous." Godric felt a little laugh escape from his mouth that Eric picked up on and looked ready to respond to so Godric quickly turned serious and said. "If you really love her, then fight for her. Show her that you're willing to do anything to get her to pick you. If you don't want to lose her to Damon then do something about it. We both know that you and her are a more perfect match. So fight."

"Are you for real? Fight for her?" Eric rolled his eyes at this suggestion like it was the stupidest idea in the world. "What...like romance her, send her flowers, write her poetry and basically become a wimp of a vampire?"

"It might be a nice gesture."

"I don't think so. I refuse to become a pussy like that." Eric retorted, getting up and walking out of the room leaving Godric alone to contemplate the mistakes his child was making.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"Now be nice or else I'm going to kick your ass." I did my best to threaten Damon as we sat together inside the kitchen and waited for Sookie to come back with Bill. She had called me that afternoon on her break and said that she was going to go pick up Bill after work and bring him over so they could both meet Damon officially and I had agreed to make it happen. After all, it seemed like Damon was going to be sticking around for a while so he had to meet the people in my life eventually. I just hoped he never came in direct contact with Eric because that would be a disaster.

"I said I would be nice and I'm going to be. Have some faith in my abilities to be a proper vampire gentleman for once." He rolled his eyes as if my nervousness over the situation was unfounded. "I can behave myself when I want to."

"You're not going to say anything inappropriate?" I asked, giving him a look that said any of his normal comebacks were out of the question. He was going to act normal and he desperately needed guidelines. "You won't be rude, you won't make any sexual innuendos, you won't hit on anyone..."

"Except for you." He interrupted with a smirk just as we both heard the front door and he got to his feet before me almost too eagerly. "I will be so proper that you won't even recognize me."

"I doubt that." I grumbled, getting up and walking ahead of him into the living room where Sookie was just entering with Bill and they both looked towards me with tense anticipated expressions as Damon took his place at my side with a devilish grin on his face that said he was up to no good. I sighed and just decided to get this over with. It couldn't be that bad. "Sookie, Bill, this is Damon Salvatore."

"Nice to meet you." Bill replied appropriately, shaking his hand when Damon extended it to him, but he stepped back a little bit with a suspicious look on his face while Sookie eagerly jumped into the line of fire.

"Oh my god, it finally happened that we get to meet. It's about damn time." Sookie spoke up excitedly, sounding hopeful like she wanted us all to get along all while eying Damon up and down curious. "So you are Damon Salvatore huh?"

"So you're the one who said I was hot right?" Damon shot back with his trademark smirk that I had specifically told him not to use and here he was acting like his usual self when he first met my cousin and I wanted to run an hide. I took one look at Sookie and cringed at the frown on her face.

"Wow, you don't waste any time making a great impression do you?' Sookie asked him, rolling her eyes as I expected she would be doing a lot with Damon before she turned to me and said. "You were right Allie. He's just like Eric."

"Yes, that may be true." I agreed, knowing that fact could not be disputed but Damon had better parts of him, and there was one that I knew would make a difference to Sookie. "But he knows all about the Eric situation and he shares the same opinion that you do about him. That Eric is a complete tool bag."

"Oh really?" Sookie brightened up considerably at this like I knew she would and she turned to look at Damon with a grin and said. "I like you already."

"Well thank god for that." I threw my hands up in the air in relief. It may not have start out in the nice, clean way I had hoped it would but if Sookie honestly thought Damon was scum right off the bat then she wouldn't still be standing here. She was very good about deciphering people with a few seconds. So she must have approved of him if she hadn't left. And that meant everything was going to be ok. I really believed that. At least until Bill stepped forward and opened his mouth.

"I'm just going to say one thing so there is no misunderstanding between us." Bill told Damon directly, not looking at either Sookie or me and instead just kept all his focus on the other vampire as he tried to sound as threatening as he could. "Allison is my family and in a weeks she will be officially when Sookie and I marry. And if Allie ends up picking you, then you better not do anything to upset her. You break her heart and I will break you and make it look like an accident. Are we clear?"

"Um, thanks for the protectiveness Dad but I think I will be ok." I shook my head at Bill's sad attempt at sounding like trouble but I appreciated nonetheless at how much he looked out for my well being. Still, I knew it was best to quickly separate them before Damon said something in response to piss Bill off. So I grabbed Damon by the arm and started pulling him towards the front door. "Um we'll just be outside."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"You just had to throw in the fact that you heard Sookie say you were hot didn't you?" I asked Damon as we sat side by side out on the porch steps in the cool night air while I tried to give him hell about his first statement to Sookie but the way he kept on looking at me just made me laugh and I couldn't help but give into it and just elbowed him in the side. "Ok, fine it was funny. But it wasn't the greatest thing to say to make a first impression. If I didn't mention that you also hate Eric then she never would have warmed up to you."

"Are you kidding? She loved me." He exclaimed, his lips curling up into yet another smirk that I couldn't help but smile at. "Not Bill though. What's his problem?"

"He's just worried about me so don't tale it personally." I assured Damon, leaning forward to wrap my arms around my knees. "He saw how hard it was for me when Eric broke my heart and he doesn't want to see that happen again. He's just being protective and I do love him for it."

"You know I would never break your heart like that." His voice suddenly turned serious and his hand landed on my shoulder as he spoke and I turned to look over at him to see a more sincere smile there then before. "I do love you and I could never hurt you like that asshole did..."

Damon never got a chance to finish what he was saying because at that moment another figure showed up on the scene and I knew right away who it was even before he opened his mouth to speak. I had barely scrambled to my feet before they both were out on the lawn together standing apart with their fists at their sides and the same deadly look in their eyes. And no introductions even needed to be made because they took care of that for me.

"Eric." Damon raised his eyebrows at the taller vampire, not looking at all intimidated.

"Damon" Eric growled this out like a wild animal as he shifted his position slightly as did Damon.

And then, they both lunged at each other.


	13. Getting Personal

**Chapter 13 Getting personal**

"Oh dear god. Please tell me this is not happening." I said in a horrified whisper that only I could hear being that there was now a full fledged battle happening on my front lawn with Eric and Damon. I couldn't even move or speak. It was only my eyes that had any activity and they followed the fight that I should have known was coming. It was only a matter of time before Eric and Damon came face to face and I should have expected that this was going to get violent as soon as they officially met each other and here it was playing out before me and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

I could barely make out their forms because they were moving so fast, but at one point I heard a crack coming from across the yard and whipped my head to the side just in time to see Damon go flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. My mouth froze in a partial open position as I saw him crumble to the ground and seeing Eric materialize just a few feet away looking triumphant. But even though Eric was a 1000 year old and much stronger then Damon was, the darker haired vamp was not going down so easily. It only took him a second to regain his footing and once he was back on his feet, he charged at Eric again, this time managing to get the upper hand and shoved the viking back across the lawn before Eric grabbed him by the arm and threw him towards the porch. I barely managed to jump off the steps where I was standing and onto the lawn before Damon's body crashed through the railing of the porch, scattering chunks of wood everywhere. The first thing that went through my head was that with all that wood flying all over the place, there was no way that Damon was going to be ok. But he was, he was dazed and unsteady on his feet but he was ok and I let out a huge sigh of relief to see him fly back off the porch to tackle Eric down to the ground, leaving a 6 foot rut in the middle of the yard.

"What the fuck?" Sookie's voice came out from the direction of the front door as she and Bill came on to the porch to take in the sight of the pile of wood scattered on the floor at their feet and then over to the fight taking place on the lawn. Sookie's face mirrored my own and she looked towards me in shock at the sight of Eric and Damon throwing punches at each other and spilling blood across the grass.

"Stop it. Stop it right now." Bill ordered, leaving Sookie's side and jumping down to the ground to rush over and attempt to separate Eric from Damon. But Bill was the same age as Damon so he couldn't much more against Eric anyway. But that didn't stop him from trying. Both Sookie and I watched as Bill grabbed Eric and tried to pull him backwards away from the other young vampire but much like the last time he went up against Eric in a fight, Bill was sent flying through the air by Eric and my cousin's fiancee was thrown nearly halfway down to the road by the time he came to a stop.

"Bill!" Sookie cried out, hoping over the broken part of the porch and running after him while I could only watch on helplessly as Damon and Eric stood toe to toe and threw their stone fists into each others faces.

"...stupid trespasser.." Eric shoved his fist into Damon's jaw, knocking the dark haired vampire off balance but not by much when Damon came back at him.

"..Whiny little bitch.." Damon sent a well aimed slap across Eric's face that practically snapped his head off his neck and I couldn't help but smile. Eric did deserved to get smacked around a little bit. And since I couldn't do it then why not Damon? But that didn't mean I wasn't taking this fight seriously. And that was why I tried to intervene even though I knew it was probably very stupid of me to get into the middle of two quarreling vampires.

"Eric stop this. I won't have you fighting Damon out on my front lawn damn it." I shouted, charging across the grass and when there was a pause in the hitting, I tried to throw myself in between them and managed to wedge my body in the middle. After all, neither of them would try and hit each other when I was so near by. But instead of it working, it only seemed to fuel their desire to get at each other and Eric grabbed me by the arms and without even looking at me, he tossed me away toward the ground where I landed hard and turned just in time to see Eric toss Damon back against the tree, only this time succeeded in breaking it and it fell in a pile of branches all around him.

"You know what? That kind of hurt." Damon hissed darkly, emerging from the rubble dusting off the shoulders of his leather jacket like it was nothing. "But seriously...is that all you've got?"

"Damon shut the fuck up. You're going to get yourself killed." I snapped at him, this time heading in his direction to hopefully stop this. But much like Eric, I wasn't able to physically do anything because I couldn't even get within two feet of him before he flashed by me and lunged at Eric. I paused in my spot, throwing my hands in the air out of frustration and groaned "What the hell do I do now?"

I didn't know what else I was suppose to do. Yelling at them wasn't helping because it seemed like they didn't hear me. Trying to do something either got me tossed away like rag doll or knocked back on my ass when one of them went whizzing by me to attack the other. Even Bill wasn't able to do anything and he was a vampire. He was just thrown just as easily as if he had been human. And now I stood there, watching this go on longer and I knew that if it wasn't stopped soon, then Damon was going to end up dead. There was no question about that. Eric was the older and stronger of the two, there was no way Damon would survive no matter how scrappy of a fighter he was. And there was nothing I could do about it. Well, at least not physically.

I had barely allowed the solution to enter my head before I felt my fingers start to tingle and get warm and one look downwards showed me the beginning of a spark start to emit from the ends of them. I glanced over to where Damon and Eric were pushing each other back and forth and I knew I would have to wait for that split second when they weren't touching each other. And when it came, I was ready. As soon as I saw them separate, I threw my hands out in front of me and a strong beam of white light shot out from both of my hands and raced to meet the two feuding vampires. As soon as it hit them, they were both drawn away from each other and thrown off balance to the point where they couldn't get back up and charge at each other. It should have ended there but it didn't. I couldn't trust that they wouldn't start fighting again the second I stopped using my powers. So I did something that was unprecedented for me and I kept my hands up, directing the light at the both of them to not only initially separate them, but to keep them that way.

As long as I had those beams on them, they couldn't move towards each other and that was a relief for me to know that it was over for the moment. They couldn't hurt each other anymore, but my efforts to hold them back were hurting me. It was one thing to bring up this light to get them apart, it was another thing entirely to keep that power going to make sure they remained distant. And I never tried it before and I never knew how much it was going to take out of me. I was forcing myself to use more energy then I ever had before and it was wrecking havoc on my body. All the strength and power in me was being directed through my hands and fingers, leaving me no strength for the rest of my body to function. I could feel my arms starting to shake and still I would not let go. I couldn't because if I did then the fighting would start and I couldn't have that. I couldn't have anything happen to Eric or Damon. They both meant something to me and if took everything out of me to keep them from hurting each other, then that's what I was going to do.

"Allie, you can stop now." Sookie's voice called out to me as she stood by Eric and Damon with Bill and waved her arms at me to drop my hands. I think she was afraid to come near me because she had never seen me use this much power before and she didn't know if it would go haywire. "Allie, it's ok. They're not going to fight again. Right?"

"Yea...that's right." Eric shot a glare across the yard at Damon who was standing in the exact same fighting stance as he had been when they were battling.

"Of course...no more fighting." But Damon didn't sound convincing either and that was just another incentive for me to keep my powers going. But the longer I did this and the harder I pushed myself, the more my entire body started to shake and my vision was beginning to get fuzzy and occasionally I would see black dots appear. I wasn't going to last much longer.

"Allison, stop it." Bill ordered, the protectiveness from before back in his voice again as he was the only one brave enough to take a step towards me with his hands outstretched. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"No I'm..." I began to protest but I wasn't able to finish because my strength finally left me and my knees gave out, sending me down to the ground. And I was bracing myself for an impact that never came because I felt a pair of arms circle around my waist after I began to collapse and those arms held me up until I was able to turn my head to see who it was that had caught me. And as my eyes landed on his face, they widened considerably. "Godric?"

"Are you ok?" He asked me, concern filling his young face as he got down to his knees and set me on the grass with his hands on my face. "That took a lot out of you. I could feel it."

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy that's all." I assured him, bringing my fingers to the side of my head where I felt the beginning of a headache start to form and I knew it would be a bad one. My whole body ached and quivered and for a second, I thought I was about to vomit all over Godric. But it passed and when it did, I looked over to where the others were and were relieved that neither Damon or Eric had made a move towards each other. "Oh thank god."

"Godric, I didn't mean to..." Eric tried to smooth things over before Godric addressed him but it was too late. Because as soon as Eric opened his mouth, Godric sent him a glare that was so dark and so deadly that for the first time, I actually was afraid of the normally calm vampire.

"Do not speak Eric. You have infuriated me with your actions and I have never been more disgusted then I am right now." Godric replied coldly, his stare so heavy and lidded that I could see Eric visibly shrink back as Godric helped me to my feet and kept his arms around my waist to hold me up. He then looked back at Eric and shook his head."I am so disappointed right now that I can barely even look at you."

"He started it..."

"I don't care who fucking started it. It never should have happened and if it hadn't been fore my bond with Allison then I never would have gotten here in time to fix your mess." Godric growled, sounding more like an animal then I had ever heard him and it was scary. I had only ever known the calm, composed Godric and to see him turn into this angry creature was just mind blowing. Godric had never tried to insert himself into something that didn't directly involved him. But with Eric being his child and it being Eric who was partly to blame, Godric had no choice but to get involved. He looked directly into Eric's eyes and said. "As your maker, I am commanding you to return to your house and wait for me. I will deal with you later."

"I have unfinished business..." Eric tried to protest again but Godric would not let him get too far.

"Do not make me command you again." He said in such a deadly voice that I know understood where Eric's intimidation had come from. I knew he had to have learned it but to hear it coming from Godric was so weird. But Eric didn't think it was weird and he had no choice but to follow orders and in the blink of an eye, he was gone and Damon was the only one left still looking ready for a fight. Godric turned his gaze down at me and I was relieved to see his normal face was back. "I have to leave and go talk some sense into my child. So please excuse me."

"Yea, go ahead." I waved him off as Sookie reached us and went to grab me just as Godric let go of me and took off down the driveway towards the road to do what he said he was going to do and that was to tear Eric a new one. I fought the urge to smile and turned to look at my cousin who was watching me with concern and I had to alleviate it or else she would cling to me for days. "I'm fine you know. I just need a few minutes for this dizziness to pass."

"You'll get more then a few minutes." Sookie grumbled, motioning for Bill and even Damon to follow her as we headed towards the steps. "Come on, I think we all need to have a chat."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to have my ass handed to me?" Damon's voice muttered from behind as we all headed inside the house to leave behind the destruction in the yard and face whatever else was to come of this night.

* * *

><p><em><span>In Shreveport<span>_

"Are you still mad at me?"

Godric could only send Eric a glare as he continued to stomp up and down the length of the living room as he had been doing since walking in the door of his child's home without having even the slightest desire to say anything worth while. He was afraid that if he were to open his mouth now, then something would come out of it that would ultimately destroy everything. And Godric couldn't bear to let that happen, so he kept himself from uttering a single word until he had calmed down enough to yell at Eric without fear of ruining the new found relationship they shared. Occasionally Eric would make a move like he was going to get up and walk out of the room, but Godric would send such a dark look at him that Eric would immediately sit back down without a fight, not used to Godric exerting this much anger and frustration on him. He never had in the past gone to this length and Godric didn't like it when he did, but Eric was so beyond a disappointment right now that he was resorting to what ever he could to get through to him.

"Look I said I was sorry. I got a little carried away and maybe I shouldn't have acted like that." Eric said gruffly, like apologizing was the most tedious task in the world for him. "But I had no choice. The sight of that asshole made something snap inside of me and I had to fight..."

"No! No you didn't. You did not have to start something physical when there was no means for it. Damn it Eric." Godric found himself yelling this when he had stopped moving and much like he usually did these days involving Eric, he had the immense desire to rip his hair out. That's the point his child had driven him too. "When I told you to fight for her, I didn't mean get into a battle with Damon on her front lawn! What in God's name is the matter with you?"

"He was trespassing on my territory. And Allison is my territory." Eric shot back, not a lick of fear in his eyes. "I claimed her a long time ago and he had no right to try and go there to take her from me."

"Will you listen to yourself? You keep saying that she's yours and yet you have not done anything to be worthy of her choosing you. You want her? Then do something about it. But do not start an unfounded fight and behave like a god damn newborn." Godric retorted, resisting the urge to run over and shake his progeny, doing that would not solve anything and could just make things worse. "Why do you always have to do this? Why do you always have to behave in the most inappropriate ways?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's just been instilled in me since I was turned." Eric sneered, sitting back and crossed his arms like a toddler. "Maybe I don't know any better."

"Oh do not give that crap about not being able to change how you are. It's not a genetic trait, its a choice. A choice that I allowed you to be too comfortable with over the years." Godric hissed, knowing he was partially to blame for how Eric had turned out because he was supposed to have been more firm on his progeny to be more open to other things, but he hadn't done a very good job. And now Eric was too far set in his ways and Godric wondered if that could ever change. "You have to stop..You have to change at some point. Or else you're going to become even more bitter then you are now."

"I think you shoulder some of the blame for that." Eric scoffed, his blue eyes following Godric across the room. "For a long time you taught me the right way to deal with things was by violence...

"I taught you wrong and it's time to change. I don't want this kind of life for you. I don't want you to be this unhappy, angry vampire. It's no way to live. Trust me, I would know." Godric pressed his lips together, memories flooding his head that he did not wish to relive so he pushed them away. "I don't want you to end up like me."

"But there's nothing wrong with you." Eric protested, his pale forehead wrinkling into a frown. "So who cares if I end up like you?"

"I care! I care a lot damn it!" Godric exclaimed, whirling around and kicking at the leg of a nearby table until it collapsed, spilling a pile of books everywhere. "You have a chance to be happier then I ever could. You have the opportunity to be with a woman that you love and you're pissing away your energy by starting fights with another vampire instead of using that energy in trying to romance her."

"I already told you the romance thing is not my thing." Eric said with such vigor like he was so determined to keep himself from ever reaching the point of vulnerability and Godric was just so annoyed at his attitude that he threw up his hands and stomped out of the room.

"Eric, don't take this personally...but please, shut the fuck up."

* * *

><p><em><span>25 minutes later<span>_

"You guys don't need to hover over me. I said I was fine and I am, so back off already." I told the three figures that had gathered around the sofa where I was sitting and waved my hands at them to show I was fully able to function without hurting myself. "The dizziness passed a while ago so you don't need to treat me like I'm terminally ill."

"You just scared the crap out of us. We've never seen you display that much power before and we didn't know what kind of damage it would to do you when it weakened you that badly." Sookie explained as she sat on the couch across from me with Bill and watched me with all the attention of a first time mother. "I can't believe you were able to sustain that power in such a concentrated state for so long. It couldn't have been easy."

"Oh you have no idea." I agreed, running my fingers through the ends of my long hair as I pulled my knees up close to my chest. "But I had no other choice. Something had to be done or there was going to be vampire guts all over our lawn."

"She's got a point there." Bill commented, looking at me with a small smile. "I wasn't able to do anything to stop the fight and Godric didn't arrive until after it was over. And if Allison hadn't done what she did, then Eric very well would have ripped Damon's head off."

"I should have known he would react that way." I shook my head, feeling like an idiot for not being smarter about the situation and keeping Damon inside the house. Then maybe this never would have happened. "Eric has the worse temper and it was bound to come out like this at some point and unfortunately it happened tonight."

"You know it's not your fault right?" Damon's hand landed on my shoulder as he spoke up for the first time since the conversation began and I turned towards him to see him smiling at me. "It was my fault."

"And Eric's. Let's not forget him." Sookie reminded everyone, as her dislike for Eric was in full swing tonight.

"I second that." Damon agreed quickly, forming a bond with Sookie just from this mutual dislike of my ex. "But despite what happened tonight...I don't regret it."

"Are you serious?" Bill countered with a frown. "You and Eric both caused damage to the house directly and to Allison indirectly. How can you not regret that?"

"Oh I'm not saying a fight was the best way to go about this because it really wasn't." Damon answered back with a shrug, seemingly apologizing but what he said next contradicted it. "But I still don't regret it because I've been wanting to punch Eric for months now."

"At least you're honest. That's got to count for something." I responded, secretly loving the fact that he cared enough about me to go toe to toe with a vampire as old as Eric just because Eric had hurt me in the past. At least he was fighting for me in all aspects.

"Still, as much as I love the fact that someone wasn't afraid to get into a fight with Eric, let's just make it a deal to not have any more fights in our yard." Sookie said to everyone around in the room. "Because if there is another night like tonight, then I don think this house can withstand it."

"Deal."

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"Are you ready to finally talk to me for real?" Godric asked a few hours later as he reentered the living room and came to sit down on the same couch Eric had been sitting on since watching his master stomp out in a fury. "Are you ready to tell me what is really going on in your head?"

"There's really nothing to talk about." Eric shrugged, shrinking back against the couch in an attempt to avoid this conversation. He had gone over it enough in his head since Godric yelled at him and he did not really feel like saying it out loud. "You made your point and I'm just going to nod and accept it."

"You know I had every right to say what I said, don't you?" Godric kept his face turned forward as if he too weren't comfortable about having this talk but he was more able to do it then Eric. "Your behavior as of late has been foolish, childish, immature and I'm..."

"Disappointed, yea I know." Eric found himself finishing the thought because not only did it sting to know he had brought out those feelings from his maker, but he was now feeling flickers of disappointment in himself and he hated it. "I haven't really liked myself too much lately either."

"Then why do you continue to act like this?" Godric demanded, now turning his body to face him. "Why can't you just solve your problems in some other way?"

" Because what is the point of trying another way when she is just going to end up picking him in the end." Eric spat this out bitterly, giving voice to the reason he had been so quick to jump into a fight tonight. "We both know she is going to pick him."

"You don't know that for sure." Godric shook his head, rubbing his hands up and down his face. "You don't know what she is thinking so you can't say that she will pick Damon. She may very well pick you. She does love you after all."

"She shouldn't love me." Eric stated, looking blankly at his maker. "I'm no good for her."

"Yes you are." Godric was obviously not going to let him feel sorry for himself. "You may not be the vampire with the best composure or temper. But I can see that you love her. And back in Mystic Falls, I saw that she still loved you. And that hasn't changed even with Damon arriving on the scene. And I truly believe that you two belong together. You just have to make more of an effort and show her that you're serious."

"I can't...I just can't." Eric frowned, knowing his answer was going to seriously piss off his maker but he couldn't help it. He did love Allison and he did want her to pick him. But he just couldn't let himself be vulnerable to her, it wasn't who he was and it wasn't who he would ever be. And he just didn't have the courage to force a change and he had accepted that a long time ago and he had to be ok with it, even if it meant a life without Allison. He couldn't change and Godric knew that. "I can't be weak like that. I don't have it in me."

"It's not weakness to try and win back the love of your life. You know that right?" Godric stared at him so intensely that it was almost like he was looking into his soul. "Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is not weakness. It's a strength, especially for vampires."

"I shouldn't have to try this hard." Eric huffed, leaning forward and glared into the fireplace. "If Damon hadn't come here then I would have already had Allison back. He's ruining everything for me."

"No Eric, you're ruining everything for you." Godric corrected him with a grin. "Damon is doing something that you should be doing. He's not trying to edge you out or pull on over on you. He's just using the opportunity that is being given to him with you not fighting for her. It wouldn't be so easy for him to win her over if you were trying to do the same thing. But Damon knows you're not standing in his way and he's going to win this if you don't do something."

"He's just so damn aggravating." Eric rolled his eyes at the thought of the younger vampire. It drove him wild with jealousy to think of Allison being anywhere near this jackass. But he couldn't do anything about it because he would just make things worse. So he turned to Godric for guidance. "I hate this Godric. Tell me what to do."

"Eric, you're my child and you know I care deeply about how you feel right?" Godric asked, turning a composed look on him that Eric nodded to for him to go on. And he watched as his maker leaned forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. "So don't get offended by this..but stop being such a pussy already."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"I still can't believe you managed to convince Sookie to let me go out with you after the night we had already." I said to Damon as we walked side by side through the dark night towards wherever it was that he was taking me to. He had said when we left the house that he had a crazy idea in mind and refused to give any more clues on the topic except to say that I would love it and I should trust him. So I did and now my curiosity was at an all time high so I had to just keep on pushing him to tell me. "Now tell me where we are going."

"You don't recognize where we are? You said you lived here your whole life." Damon smirked at me, keeping his arm looped through mine so I wouldn't trip over something in the dark. He had a flashlight in his hand just in case but being a vampire, he didn't have any cause to use it and insisted I would be ok with him leading.

"Yea I have lived here but I don't know why you are taking me on the road that leads to the elementary school. It's not like there is anything crazy waiting for us up there." I explained, wondering what exactly he was getting at. He had used the word crazy when describing his plan for tonight and I was having a hard time understanding what that could mean when walking to my old school. "Seriously, what is going on?"

"I thought this would be fun and totally out of character for me." He explained, pulling me to a stop by a nearby chain link fence and nodded across the grass to the structures sitting in the moonlight waiting for us. "We can just hang out and talk."

"On the playground? For real?" I couldn't hide my growing surprise at his odd, yet touching suggestion of sitting around the old yard where I use to have recess when I was a child. I hadn't been back here once since I left elementary school, not even just to play after school was over. And it was quite different to be here as an adult but there was something very sweet about it that made me want to stay here and soak it up. I turned to Damon and grinned. "This is childish, and immature and...totally adorable."

"I can be adorable when I want to be." He insisted, laughing at me when I left his side and headed over to the merry go round and sat down with my feet in the sand to push myself. He came over and took the space next to me, also setting his feet on the ground to lazily move the metal circle around. "And my efforts seem to be making you smile a lot more then they ever have when you were in Mystic Falls."

"That's because you never tried this hard when I was there." I reminded him turning my eyes so I was able to see his face as it caught the moonlight. "Actually, you never really tried at all."

"I will agree with you on that." He chuckled as he leaned back against the bars while our feet dragged through the sand. "I was stupid to not be fighting for you even back then. I shouldn't have waited this long."

"Why did you?" I asked suddenly, needing to understand why he had been so against the idea of trying to make things work between us. "Why weren't you able to tell me how you felt?"

"To be frank, you scared the shit out of me." He replied with no hesitation at all and looked at me with a shrug. "I hadn't felt anything that strong for anyone since I was involved with my maker. And even then, it was different because Katherine was a vampire and you're not. But it didn't make sense for me to be so uncomfortable about being vulnerable with you when you were no threat to me. It's not like you could hurt me."

"In a way I could. Just not physically." I nodded, knowing where he was going with this and shocked that he was opening up to me. "You were afraid of being close to me and then losing me right?"

"Yup. And that's why I told you to leave and that there was nothing between us." He muttered, seemingly lost in his own memories of that night. "As I told Stefan, I would have rather have you hate me and leave instead of allowing myself to really love you and then have you leave anyway."

"I guess I understand that." I sighed heavily, glad that this was making sense now but it didn't bring me any closer to knowing who I was going to pick. Although I was happy that Damon was being open with me, that mean something. So I my head to look at him and did something I wasn't expecting and placed my hand on top of his, causing him to look at me in surprise. I smiled and said. "I'm not leaving Damon."

"Oh yea?" His lips twisted into a smirk as he turned his hand over and laced his fingers with mine before saying "Well I'm not leaving either."


	14. My beautiful flower

**A/N: The song used in this chapter is a song called "Beautiful Flower" by the band Default. ..its an amazing song and i do not take any credit for using the lyrics...they just fit the mood of the chapter...so no credit taken...**

**And now...ENJOY!**

**Chapter 14 My beautiful flower **

_A few days later_

"So I think we need to have a little talk." Sookie said to me a few days later as we stood inside her bedroom in front of her full length mirror while she forced me to try on the dress I would be wearing to the wedding for what felt like the millionth time. It seemed like the closer the wedding got, the more insane my cousin became and in the oddest of ways. Because instead of getting paranoid about her not fitting into her wedding dress, she was harassing me to make sure I fit into my dress even though their wasn't a wedding party and I was just going to be sitting in the crowd with Godric. She still insisted on making me try on the dress on a weekly basis as if any drastic change in my body was going to happen over the course of 7 days. So when she said we needed to talk I thought she was referring to the wedding and had somehow found something wrong with what I was wearing.

"Sookie I told you already, that I'm not going to become a fat ass by the time the wedding takes place so stop worrying." I exclaimed, turning around in the mirror in every which way to see if there was any imperfection but my body hadn't changed at all in the last few years. I was still 115 pounds like I had been when I graduated college and I had never gone beyond that so I didn't know what the hell she was thinking was going to make me suddenly not fit into my dress. "I promise I will be the same size I have always been when your wedding happens."

"Don't be stupid, you look gorgeous. This isn't about the dress." Sookie rolled her eyes as if my statement was ridiculous but I could still see her observing me when she spoke again. "This is about your uh..romantic situation."

"What about it?" I tried to sound casual about it but I couldn't really agree it was a situation since although there were two vampires in love with me, only one of them was actually fighting for me. So it was like a very lopsided fight.

"I've been watching you with Damon these past 2 weeks and I have to say, you are starting to look like the old Allison. And I've missed that." She said, clapping her hands together gleefully like a child. "You look happy."

"I am happy. Damon makes me smile and I love that." I found that stupid silly grin come over my face any time his name was brought up. He really did make me feel like my old self which was quite a departure from the way I felt when I was around him in Mystic Falls. But at least he was trying to change and I appreciated the effort. "So what makes you bring up my love life?"

"Well I guess I was just wondering if you were any closer to making a final choice about who you were going to be with." Sookie raised her eyebrows at me very sheepishly like she had some hidden meaning behind it. "Because it seems like you are leaning towards Damon mostly."

"I guess in a way I am gravitating to Damon more then I thought. I mean, he is trying so hard and I love that. I love that he is turning into this huge romantic guy. He was never like that when I was in Mystic Falls and it is such a nice change." I gushed, smiling as I remembered all the nice things Damon had been doing to prove why he was the better choice. The tree, the playground, the talking. It was all proof that he was serious about me. "It should be an easy choice. I should just be able to pick him..."

"But..." Sookie waved her hand like she knew what I was getting at. "You're not entirely happy."

"No. Not quite and you know why?" I asked, grinding my teeth together furiously as I stomped over to the bed and sat down. "Because while Damon is trying and thinking up all these romantic gestures, I can't help but remember that Eric is not trying at all. Not in the slightest. And I want him to."

"Oh Allie." Sookie came over and sat next to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders which I appreciated. "You know Eric is not the type to do things like that. So don't get your hopes up that he will just magically change."

"I'm not expecting him to turn into this romantic kind of guy, I know he will never be like that. I'm not completely naïve." I said with a heavy sigh, tossing my long ponytail over my shoulder. "But I just thought he would at least be doing something to back up his claim that he still loves me. And he's not doing anything. And as long as I keep hoping that he will fight for me, I will be no closer to making a decision. I'm too torn right now. I want them both."

"Well look at it this way. You're a Faerie, you're going live for as long as you were meant to. So you have the time to figure it out and make sense of it all." She assured me with a squeeze of her arm. "Just don't put so much pressure on yourself. Enjoy the both of them and whatever they do for you. Eventually the answer will come to you. Your heart has never let you down before."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that afternoon<span>_

"Ok, how is it possible that we have more clothes between the two of us then the rest of the town combined?" Allison demanded as she stood on one side of the table in the kitchen where they were both staring at the humongous pile of laundry they had just brought in from the dryer out on the closed in back porch. "I don't remember ever having this much clothing."

"That's because we usually do our laundry separate and not together. So it never seems all that much." Sookie pointed out as she grabbed one of the two baskets on a nearby chair and handed one to her cousin. "Let's get this pile sorted so we can start folding."

"I hate laundry day." Allie grumbled, taking the basket and setting it on the table on her side before beginning to rummage through the pile. "This is one of the times when I wish we were still kids and had our moms to do it for us."

"At least now we have a dryer. Do you remember when my mom and your mom would still hang the wet clothes out on a line in the yard to dry?" Sookie laughed at the memory as sometime it seemed so long ago, but today it seemed like only yesterday she and Allie were running around the yard together while their moms hung up clothes. "It's weird how we remember things like that so randomly."

"I don't think it's that weird." Allie shrugged, tossing an armful of shirts into her basket. "When I was in Mystic Falls, there would be snow on the ground and at first I never really thought much about it. And then one night, it hit me as I was watching it fall, that I used to see my mom and dad dancing in the snow. And that came out of nowhere. So no, not weird at all."

"I remember you telling me about that." Sookie smiled out of remembrance for that pleasant memory of her aunt and uncle. "It was the sweetest thing I ever heard."

"I told Damon about it." Her cousin said suddenly, looking up with a shy smile. "When I had that memory, I told him all about how I would sneak downstairs to watch them dance in the snow and then he did the cutest thing. He went over to the stereo system and put on a CD and it was playing the same song my mom and dad had been dancing to. And then he pulled me outside and we began dancing in the snow just like my mom and dad. And it was actually that night when we first kissed."

"See? Damon is clearly the better choice based on those actions alone." Sookie had to stop herself from squealing because she knew it would annoy Allie. "I mean come on. Would Eric ever do something like that?"

"Nope. He's never even asked me to dance once. So I find it hard to imagine him ever doing something that romantic." Allison rolled her eyes as she continued reaching for her clothes. "Now Damon on the other hand, while like Eric in so many ways, is still willing to try and change. And his efforts surprise me every night."

"Yea well, I can only..." Sookie's voice was drowned out by the sound of the doorbell going off and they both left the table immediately to head to the door to answer it. Sookie reached the door first and without even stopping to look past the curtain, she opened it only to nearly walk into a cloud of pink flowers. She had to jump back and step to the side so she could see the delivery man. "Uh, who are these for?"

" A Ms. Allison Stackhouse." The man replied, holding out the bouquet to them and Allie stepped up to accept them with a curious look on her face.

"Who sent these?" She asked the man, who was reaching for his clipboard and took out a small envelope which he proceeded to hand to her.

"The man who ordered them just said to give them to you and make sure you got this note. He wouldn't give his name. Just your name and the address." The man said pleasantly before nodding to the bouquet. "Who ever he is, he must really like you to spend that much money on pink roses. They are very expensive."

"Thank you. Have a nice day." They both waved at the delivery man before stepping back inside and shutting the door, both wearing the same kind of suspicious look.

"I wonder who it's from." Allie mumbled, walking off to the side and into the dining room where she set the pink roses on the table and turned the envelope over in her hand. "I have a pretty good idea though."

"Me too" Sookie said, already having a feeling it was Damon as she watched her cousin tear open the small envelope and read the small note that was inside. It only took a second before Allie started to blush and smile and Sookie couldn't help but ask "What did he say?"

"Read it for yourself." Allie handed the small card and then proceeded to blush even harder then before as Sookie went to skin over the words.

_My dear sweet Allison,_

_I don't usually do things like this as you know, but I told you that I was going to continue trying to prove to you that my intentions were for real this time around. And the most romantic thing I could think up so far was to send you flowers like a normal guy would. And I hope that every time you look at them, you know I picked them because they reminded me of just how beautiful you are in my eyes. Because you are beautiful and you're my beautiful little flower now and forever._

_Love, Damon_

"Ok, I am officially impressed now." Sookie said, fighting the urge to cry as she handed the note back to Allie. "Damon is so above Eric right now in my eyes."

"Oh mine too." Allie agreed, reading over the note again and it was obvious by the look on her face that the brunette was now carrying a major torch for the younger vampire. "I hope he comes by tonight. I really have to thank him for this."

"I think there is a very good chance of him showing up."

* * *

><p><em><span>That night<span>_

"..not fair..not fair at all.."

"Stupid Damon Salvatore...what a huge prick.."

"He's trying to take her away from me. She's mine! I claimed her, he can't take another vampire's human."

"Why won't he just back the fuck off?"

"Why don't you just stop complaining already?" Godric suggested, forcing himself to cover his face with his hands so he would not have to watch Eric continue to pace around the kitchen as he had been doing for the past few nights. Godric wanted to be supportive of his child, but he had been forced to endure countless hours of listening to Eric complain and sulk and whine about his life, about Damon, about Allie and how unfair everything was and to be perfectly honest, Godric was getting sick of it. It would be one thing if Eric was at least fighting for her and not succeeding because at least then he would have cause to constantly talk about the situation. But Eric was doing nothing but sitting on his ass and acting bitter about the whole thing. And it was the breaking point for Godric. He had tried to be patient and tried to be there for Eric, but his child was doing nothing to help himself and if he wasn't willing to try to change then Godric did not want to listen to this anymore. "Come on Eric. Don't you think it's time to let this go already?"

"How can you you say that?" Eric demanded, coming to a halt and whipping around on his heels with his jaw hanging open in true offensiveness. "You know I love her and I can't believe you would even suggest I let it go. What is the matter with you?"

"I think the question is better directed at you." Godric shot back, dropping his hands down to the table top with a smack. "Why is the matter with you? You refuse to fight for her and get her to choose you and yet you go around complaining and whining because someone else is doing what you ought to be doing. Grow up already Eric and make a decision. Either try and win her over, or make a clean break and let her be happy with Damon. But don't string her along by saying you love her but you won't fight for her. It's not fair."

"No, what's not fair is that this asshole who is no where near the vampire that I am is making more progress with her then I am. And it makes me want to kill him even more then I already do." Eric growled, kicking at a nearby stool and knocking it across the room in the same fashion he would be doing to Damon's head of he could. "It's not supposed to be like this. He's not suppose to win."

"It's not about winning. It's not a competition, that's where you are always wrong. It's about giving Allie the time and the proof that she needs to figure out her feelings for the two of you. And I have to say that there is no proof on your part and that's your own fault." Godric hated pointing this out to his child, but it needed to be done or else Eric would never get his head out of his ass and realize his mistakes. "But if you care about her like you claim then why did you make her leave the office that night she came to tell us about Damon? Why didn't you let her stay so you guys could talk it out?"

"Because it was too much for me to take that's why." Eric snapped, his hands snapping outward to grip the top of one of the chairs at the table while he spoke. "I couldn't take the feeling of having her so close, only to remember that I could lose her to someone else."

"You wouldn't have lost her Eric. She would have stayed if you had let her but you pushed her out instead of appreciating the fact that she was being honest with you. And if that's not a sign of love then I don't know what is, because most girl would have lied and kept it under wraps for as long as they could. But she didn't and that means something. So capitalize on it before you really do lose her."

"What's the point?"

"Excuse me?" Godric frown, having a bad feeling about the tone in his child's voice. It was almost like he was giving up.

"What's the use in trying to win her over?" Eric question, hanging his head low so his face was hidden as he spoke. "She's going to end up picking him in the end anyway so why bother even putting effort into it. It won't make a different. She'll still be choosing him over me at the end of all this. So it whether I try or not, it's fighting a losing battle. Either way I go, I'm still going to lose."

"Now that's just giving up Eric. And I never thought I would see the day when that happened." Godric rolled his eyes, furious at his child's behavior but also understanding it to a point. But he wasn't going to tell Eric that. Eric was already feeling low and Godric couldn't add to it. Someone had to keep the hope alive. "Listen to me, you're being stubborn. And if you ever lose her, it's going to be because you can't let your guard down and be honest with her like you are doing with me. You need to be real with her for once. If Allison chooses Damon, it's not going to be because she doesn't love you. It's going to be because you didn't fight for her and to her that will seem like you don't love her. So do something about it."

"I don't know if I can."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"Ew, why did you make me watch this. This is disgusting." Sookie screamed, hiding her face behind her hands like she had been doing since the beginning of the movie and groaned extremely audibly and I couldn't help but laugh. I knew Sookie never had the stomach to watch movies like this but yet she insisted on letting me choose and of course I had to pick an oldie but a goodie that was bound to gross her out in the worse possible way.

"It's not that bad." I protested, more interested in watching her reaction then the actual movie. And her jumps and squeals were much more amusing to me which was kind of the whole point of hanging out together tonight. I had been confused earlier on in the day when we had talked and I was glad to be able to just smile and laugh like my life was normal and I had nothing to worry or obsess over.

"Allie, that girl just got swung against a tree in a sleeping bag by a crazy freak in a hockey mask. Of course it is that bad." She shot back, dropping her hands long enough to lean forward and snatch the remote from off the coffee table and pause the movie. "We're taking a break from this. My stomach is turning over."

"Oh stop it. Get a drink and you'll be fine." I ordered, laughing as she went around behind the couch to pick up the pillows she had tossed at me when I kept on teasing her about her continuous jumping during the movie. I rolled my eyes since she couldn't see me and waited for her to surely hit me in the back of the head for teasing her pretty much all night. But she didn't do anything. And instead she actually went still and I heard her starting to laugh at something I could not see.

"Um, Allie. You might want to come over to the window." She told me, leaning over the back of the couch so our faces met and there was this unreadable grin that stretched across her entire face. "There is something you need to see."

"Oh god, Eric and Damon didn't creep up on each other in the yard did they?" I asked, jumping to my feet and whipping around nervously, not knowing what I would do it she said yes to this. I was having such a good night and the last thing I wanted to deal with was another fight with those two.

"Don't worry there is no vampire fight going on, so you can relax." She assured me, reaching out for my arm to pull me around the side of the sofa. "There is a vampire outside, who just so happens to be waiting for you with a guitar around his neck."

"Oh my god, no way." I barely felt my mouth drop open as I forgot about going to the window and instead hauled ass to the front door and jumped out onto the partial destroyed porch with Sookie following right behind me. I saw with my own eyes that Damon was standing in the middle of the yard and he actually did have an acoustic guitar in his arms. And as soon as I saw this, I knew what he was about to do and I almost wanted to cry before anything even happened. Damon didn't look at all worried and in fact there was an utmost level of confidence in his eyes that I hadn't seen ever before as he began to strum the strings in this slow, melodic way. And then, he opened his mouth and I found myself transfixed by what I was hearing.

_There you go creeping in_

_You're in my head once again_

_It's a rush_

_Head to toe_

_It's never enough don't you know_

_Come tomorrow_

_See ya sorrow_

_A taste of heaven_

_All your living_

_There's a thousand reasons to leave_

_But there's just one reason to stay_

"Oh my god." It was all I could say as I stood there with Sookie grabbing my arm tighter and tighter as we listened to Damon serenade me on this starry night. It seemed so surreal, not just for the fact that I had a man singing to me, but because this man was also a vampire and he was the type of vampire who would never be caught dead doing something this corny. But I was watching it unfold right before me and the longer it went on, the more stunned and moved I became.

"This is seriously, the best freaking thing I have ever seen." Sookie whispered into my ear as her hands squeezed my arm in excitement. "How come Bill doesn't do things like this? Come on. A guy with a guitar who is singing is hot."

"Oh hell yes it is." I barely nodded in response as my eyes caught Damon's and the smirk he sent in our direction showed that he heard us. But it didn't distract him from what he was doing.

_My beautiful flower_

_You've got the power_

_I stopped holding on_

_You keep pulling me in_

_My beautiful flower_

_My darkest hour_

_Think I'm getting out_

_Till I see you again_

"Damn it. He's making it very hard to keep my composure." I said to Sookie, wanting to slap my hands over my mouth to keep myself from screaming like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. But I was at the point and if I let it out, oh it would be embarrassing.

"Allie, you're getting all teary eyed." My cousin commented suddenly, moving my hands to my face where I felt my cheeks and found that they were wet.

"I can't believe I am crying over this." I said with a laugh, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, feeling stupid for this kind of reaction. But I couldn't help myself, it was just that cute. Something I never expected to come from Damon Salvatore.

_Where's my fate taking me_

_My mistakes breaking me_

_Here I come chasing you_

_In a world without you_

_Do I belong here_

_It feels so wrong here_

_Like a cloud that's following you_

_The sun can never find it's way through_

_My beautiful flower_

_You've got the power_

_I stopped holding on_

_You keep pulling me in_

_My beautiful flower_

_My darkest hour_

_Think I'm getting out_

_Till i see you again_

"I cannot believe he actually stood out on our lawn and sang a song to me." I said out loud as Damon stopped singing and playing and stood there in the grass with the guitar pushed aside behind him as he waited for me to make a move.

"There is nothing more romantic then what just happened." Sookie gushed, her hands at my shoulders as she turned me around excitedly. "What now?"

"I'm going to show my appreciation." I replied with a huge smile, turning away from her and stepping down the steps and hurrying across the grass to where he was waiting for me with his arms crossed and dressed in his trademark color of black looking more attractive and brooding then ever before. And as I walked up to him, I could feel my heart pounding wildly inside of my chest and I hoped there was no other vampires around to hear it because there was no way I could slow my heart beat. Not when he was looking at me like that. I stopped when I was a foot away and tucked my hands under my arms and tilted my head to the side with a smile. "Wow."

"That's it?" He asked with a devious smirk, running his fingers through his dark hair. "I make a fool of myself and all you can say is wow."

"Good point. How about this instead?" I barely gave myself a second to return his smirk before I moved forward and uncrossed my arms so I could cup the back of his head and then pull his face down to mine and kissed his lips for the first time in 2 months. And I forgot how nice and exciting it was to feel his mouth moving hungrily against mine and it was in that moment that I knew I had made the right decision in kissing him. It felt right and beautiful and amazing and if I could, I would kiss him all night. But I couldn't get carried away this quickly so I pulled back and broke the kiss, stepping away from him with a smile. "Was that better?"

"A little bit." He said like the smart ass that he was and he was the one to move forward this time and pull me into his arms and lay a kiss on me that left me absolutely breathless.


	15. Night of torments

**Chapter 15 Night of torments**

"Come on Allie. Figure this out already. It shouldn't be this difficult. Just pick one of them already." I said to myself a few nights later as I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at myself in the mirror, begging out loud for my heart to finally tell me what direction I was supposed to be turning in right now. But I was still at a crossroads as I had been for the past couple of weeks. I thought as time went on and as more effort was made on the part of one vampire while the other did nothing, that the answer would be that much more clear and it wasn't. It was no where near clear and it was really starting to torment me. I was tried of going over this every night when I was lying in bed trying to go to sleep. I was tired of having the same proof thrown in my face over and over again that should have made the choice obvious, but didn't. I wanted to stop the way my thought would go in complete circles that would make no sense on the surface but made perfect sense subconsciously. I was sick of having dreams about the two of them, dreams so explicit in nature that I would wake up in the middle of the night and have to go throw myself under the cold shower head just so I could cool off. It was all driving me crazy and I had to come to a decision soon or else I was going to lose all traces of my sanity.

But how do I choose? How do I decide something that could define the rest of my life? Because I knew whoever I picked would be with me for the rest of my very long existence. But who was he supposed to be? Who was supposed to be the one to be at my side to fight with me through everything? Who was supposed to be my other half? Shouldn't I know something like that right off the bat?

I should have, but I didn't. And that's what made the decision so hard. Because at this point, I was starting to have equally strong feelings for the both of them and that made everything worse, because only one of those vampires was actually worthy of my affections.

Ever since he came back into my life, Damon had been doing everything in his power to win me over and make up for his behavior back in Mystic Falls and I have to say I was impressed with his efforts. Never in all my life did I imagine a vampire like him doing half the stuff that he had done. It just wasn't him to be talking about his feelings or doing things like sending flowers and serenading me at night in my yard. But he had done all that, going above and beyond what I expected him to do when he said he was going to win me back. In fact, when he first told me this, I figured he was just going to admit to having feelings for me and then continue to come around and spend time with me. I never once thought he would try the romantic approach, especially since he had seemed so reluctant to even talk about feelings, let alone show them the way he was. But he had changed, just like he said he had. I didn't want to believe it because it didn't seem likely that a vampire like him could ever be anything other then the jackass, arrogant bastard that he was for so many years. And yet here he was, completely changing his personality so he would be worthy of me. He cared for me that much that he would go against his own nature and all that he had known since he was changed, just to be a better man to me. And it meant so much to me that he would do that. And every night that he came by, I enjoyed myself more and more, excited to see what else he would come up with to surprise me. And I was happy when I was with him, I didn't think I could ever feel that way again after the year I had had last year, but Damon made it possible and I would always be thankful for that. He was good to me and he treated me in the way I always dreamed I would be treated by a man who loved me. And therefore, the choice should have been easy, I should have picked him already.

But much like everything in my life, it wasn't that easy. I wished it could be because I did not need another emotional event to rock my world. But of course my life was never fair and that came in the form of a tall, blonde viking vampire named Eric Northman.

"Oh Eric, you stupid stupid vampire." I muttered, looking at my reflection and resisted the urge to reach out and shove my fist through the glass. I kept my hands at my side and just glared at myself as if it were Eric staring back at me. "I wish I could hate you."

But I could never hate Eric Northman, no matter what he did. Oh trust me, there had been more then just few times when he had lashed out at me or said things that truly broke my spirit, him saying Sookie's name during sex rings a bell. And I wished I could get myself to hate him, but I just don't think it was possible. He could push me away and not fight for me all he wanted and yet there was still a part of me that was always going to love him. Not that it didn't still make me sad that he hadn't done anything to prove his love because I was definitely still sad about that. But somehow, I kept holding on to the hope that he would wake up and suddenly do everything in his power to win me back. And even though he may never do that, hate just wasn't an emotion that I could ever feel towards him. How could I? He was my first love, my first sexual experience, my hero and my viking and my savior all rolled up into one. He was constantly saving me from evil and was always willing to lay down his life for me. He was my everything. There was no possible way I could ever hate him.

And that brought me back to the initial question. Who do I choose?

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"So Sookie. What are you up to tonight?" Allison asked as she walked into the kitchen with a plate in one hand and a glass in the other while she headed in the direction of the sink to rinse them off as Sookie sat at the table with a file folder in front of her and a notepad off to the side that she had been scribbling on for the past few hours.

"Oh probably just going over to Bill's to rehash some last minute wedding details and I might stay over there for the night." Sookie grinned at the thought of talking about the wedding with her future husband. It just reminded her even more of how right her decision was and she couldn't wait for it to be official. If this feeling could be bottle up, she would get drunk on it every single night.

"Don't you think you talk about the wedding a little too much?" Allie asked, turning around and leaning back against the sink with her arms crossed. "I mean, I get that you're excited and all. But isn't this like bordering on obsessive?"

"When you get married some day then you won't think that." Sookie pointed out with a smile, watching as her cousin's face turn into a frown at this statement and it caused Sookie to ask "What did I say?"

"It's nothing. I just doubt whether I will ever get to the point where you and Bill are at. Mostly because whether I pick Damon or Eric, they aren't exactly the marriage types. But I'm not even thinking of the future in those kind of terms. I'm more worried about who the hell I want to be with right now in the present." Allison exclaimed, gripping two fistfuls of hairs and groaned out loud so heavily that Sookie felt bad for her. "How the hell am I suppose to do this? How can I pick one or the other?"

"In my opinion, it's a pretty easy answer. Go with Damon." Sookie said with a shrug, pushing back her chair and getting to her feet. "But then again, my opinion doesn't really matter."

"Of course it matters. You're my cousin and we're more like sisters. Your opinion is always going to matter to me." Allison retorted with a smile that although wasn't forced, it still wasn't as bright as it should have been. "So tell me why you think Damon is the better choice."

"It's kind of weird because my first impression upon meeting him was that he was a carbon copy of Eric. He was arrogant, cocky looking, always wearing that damn smirk and leather jacket. He was really just a dark haired replica of Eric and I did not want to like him." Sookie admitted honestly, thinking back to how she had made that first judgment based solely on how he looked. And when she thought about it now, it wasn't fair to do that. But Allie was her cousin and best friend and after seeing that poor girl go through so much sadness, Sookie knew she had to be cautious about any man or vampire entering Allie's life. Which was why she had been suspicious of Damon until he had proven himself. And boy did he do that a million times over. "But I've been watching him over the past month when he's around you. And seeing him do all these things that are just not in his nature just further reinstates that he is so not Eric in any way. Eric would never send you flowers and he would certainly not stand out in the yard and sing to you. Yea, Eric would drop dead before he did that. So that's why I say pick Damon, but the choice is ultimately yours. Only you can decide who is the best for you in whatever way you need."

"And if I pick Eric? What then?" Allie asked, turning the tables to a subject they hadn't really discussed all that much lately. It had always been pushed to the side and shied away from. But Allie seemed to feel the need to bring it up for some reason. "If I decide to be with Eric, are you still going to support me?"

"Of course I will. You're like my sister and no matter what you decide, I am going to back you up 100 percent." Sookie assured her, walking over and taking the younger girl by the arms. "I don't care who you choose because I know whoever that it is, is going to be the right one for you. And it won't matter what I think of him. As long as he makes you happy and protects you and treats you like a princess, then that is all that matters. So yea, even if it is Eric in the end, I will still be supportive."

"Thanks. I really needed to hear that." Allison smiled, leaning forward so they both could embrace one another and the brunette squeezed extra tight in that moment, further stressing how much they needed to lean on each other through whatever decision was thrown in their path. And Sookie was determined to stand by her cousin no matter what happened.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Pam's voice was the first thing to greet me when I approached the front door of Fangtasia and it didn't take more then a few seconds before she materialized in front of me with her trademark pink getup and that observant smirk as she looked me up and down with her fangs peeking out just slightly. "Now I hope you came to see me."

"Actually I came to see Godric." I stated, ignoring the looks she was giving me more easily then I would have in the past. After taking that stake for her and watching her express her gratitude for my actions, it had brought about a new understanding between us. And while we would never be best friends, I could still at least call her somewhat of a friend. Hence why I could take her comments in stride. "I assume he's here."

"Yup, just like he is every night. Just to make sure Eric doesn't do anything idiotic." Pam rolled her eyes and for a vampire, she did it so fast that I couldn't even see them move. "He's at the bar. Go in, he'll be happy to see you."

"Thanks Pam." I sent an appreciative smile her way before I stepped aside and opened the door, leaving her behind as I entered the bar and was nearly knocked over by the noise in the crowded room. Things were in full swing tonight with humans and vampires alike moving all about the main floor, some of whom turned to look in my direction as I walked in but I choose to ignore it. I was starting to get used to the fact that I was always going to be stared at, even if I didn't like it. But my only focus was on the vampire sitting at the end of the bar closest to the door. The one with his back towards me and his head down low passed his shoulders as I walked over and said "Hey Godric. How are you?"

"Oh I am just fine, little Fae." He replied with a smile that was clearly forced and was being presented more for my benefit then his. And not only could I feel through our bond that it was fake, but I just already had this sense that Godric was not himself tonight.

"Godric, what's wrong?" I asked, coming up to his side just as he sighed and dropped his head down on the counter top and repeatedly banged his forehead on the wood multiple times until I had no choice but to grab him and turn him around to face me. Luckily he hadn't gained the attention of anyone else around us which was good, because the last thing either of us needed was to be bothered right now. "Hello, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Your viking is driving me crazy, that's what's wrong." He groaned, nodding across the crowded main floor to the stage where Eric's attention was on the dancer who was bumping and grinding on the pole right in front of him bringing on the most amused smirk that only came when he was enjoying himself. I chose to ignore this and turned away, not having any desire to see some other woman dance half naked almost in in his face and just paid attention to Godric.

"What has he done now?" I asked, rolling my eyes knowing it was probably something that Godric did not approve of.

"He hasn't done anything. That's the problem." Godric groaned, leaning on his elbows and dropping his face into his hands seeming like he was talking more to himself then to me. "But no, I am perfectly fine otherwise."

"Are you sure about that? You have the bleeds and you look terrible." I commented, noticing the beginning of blood starting to run down from his ears and I sat down in the seat across from him and sent a sympathetic look in his direction. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually there is." He perked up as a thought appeared to hit him and he threw a desperate look at me before he shocked me with what came out of his mouth. "Can you have sex with Eric?"

"Excuse me?" I couldn't even stop my mouth as it fell open at his request and he nearly laughed when he saw my reaction and for a moment he looked like his old self. "Are you serious? That's how I'm supposed to help you? By sleeping with Eric?"

"Yes, because he has not stopped talking about you for the past two nights and I haven't been able to get any rest and I didn't have the heart to turn him away, so I forced myself to stay awake and listen to him. But frankly, I cannot take it anymore" Godric explained, wiping away the blood that had started running out of his nostril and looked at me so pleadingly that I was very tempted to do what he asked just so he wouldn't be so miserable. Almost, but not quite. "I would really like to rest tomorrow. so if you could just spare 5 minutes and have sex with him then I would really appreciate that."

"You're insane." I told him, shaking my head in disbelief at the unexpected turn this conversation had taken and just laid my hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "How about I just go talk to Eric for you?"

"Um, I wouldn't do that right now." Godric said, his eyes darting over my shoulder briefly before settling back on my face. "Why don't you just hang out here and have a drink with me?"

"Why shouldn't I go over there and..." My voice fell away as I turned around in my chair and sought out Eric's face but I couldn't find it and not because he was no longer in the room. It was because his face was mostly hidden behind the face of the dancer who had been previously dancing around for him and was now in his lap sucking face with him. And seeing him kiss her back just drove a sharp pain through my heart, making me feel as if I was being staked all over again. The pain was so bad that I actually had to look down to make sure there was no stake to be seen that could possibly be causing this agony for me. Nothing was there, I was perfectly fine. Except for the sadness that shot through me at seeing Eric make out with someone who wasn't me. It shouldn't have affected me the way it did. Eric and I weren't together so there was no reason I should be feeling upset at seeing him with another woman. Especially since I had already kissed Damon not that long ago. I shouldn't be feeling like I couldn't breathe or feeling like I was having my heart ripped out of my chest and stomped on as I was forced to watch. I should not be feeling the urge to run over there and rip that slut off of him and throw her through the window. But I was feeling that and what I was feeling more was the urge to cry and I did not want to do that here in front of Eric. I turned to look at Godric who was watching me with this cringing look on his face and just shrugged. "Um, you know what? I think I'm just going to go home."

"Allison.." Godric tried to reach out to me but I shied away from him and stepped down to the floor, reaching into my pocket for my keys, even more desperate to get out of here. "Don't take this..."

"What? Don't take this personally? How can I not? He's making out with some whore right in front of me. Of course I'm going to take it personally." I snapped, not even looking at him as I started backing away. If I remained here any longer then I would end up breaking down. "And now I'm going to take it personally all the way home. Good night Godric."

And I left him sitting there alone at the bar, less then 10 minutes after I arrived here.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Was that absolutely necessary?" Godric demanded when he had pulled Eric into the office after Allison had left and glared at his child furiously, barely able to contain himself long enough to spit out the disgust he had for his child's behavior."Did you have to kiss another woman right in front of her?"

"I don't see what the big deal is." Eric replied with a wave of his hand as if the situation was no big deal. "I'm allowed to do whatever I want. And it's not my fault she gets upset over the simplest things."

"Are you trying to make her hate you?" Godric demanded, narrowing his normally calm eyes into little slits. How could Eric be so damn calm about this? Did he not care at all that the woman he loved was hurting because of what he did? "Because you are well on your way to doing that."

"Not my problem." Eric shrugged, attempting to walk passed him to the door, but Godric grabbed him by the arm and flung him backwards until he fell down into the chair in front of his desk with a loud thud. Eric glared at him so dangerously that it was a sure fire sign that he was well on his way to lashing out. "What's your fucking problem?"

"You are my fucking problem!" Godric had no qualms about using such language with his progeny because desperate times call for desperate measures. He crossed his arms and stomped his foot on the hard wood floor and asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Eric questioned as if he had no idea what was being even talked about.

"Don't play coy with me. I'm not in the mood." Godric snapped, forcing himself to step back before he did something stupid. "Why are you pushing her away like this?"

"That was not about pushing her away. I did nothing wrong." Eric replied smugly, sitting back in the chair as if this conversation was nothing more then just a relaxing talk about the weather.

"Well what do you think you are doing when you make out with another woman in front of her? What, you think she is just going to smile and be ok with it and say it's no big deal?" Godric hissed at the blonde vampire, wondering what the hell was going on inside Eric's head to make him suddenly do something like this. "It was a big deal. A very big deal. When she saw you kissing someone who wasn't her, she looked like her heart had been ripped out and she was going to cry any second. That's why she ran out of here so soon after walking in."

"That was her choice, I didn't make her do it." Eric pointed out, tucking his hands under his arms with a raise of his eyebrows. "Besides, I'm pretty sure she was doing the same thing with Damon. So she really has no place to be upset."

"So this is what...payback? Are you really going to be that immature?" Godric could not believe what he was hearing. Eric was doing this just because Allison had another vampire vying for her affections? It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "What is the matter with you?"

"How about what is the matter with her?" Eric demanded, jumping up to his feet so he towered over Godric with a frown. "She put me through the ringer just because I said Sookie's name. I didn't kiss her cousin, I didn't have sex with her, I didn't even make a pass at her. And then she goes and runs away like a coward. And now that she's back, she is messing around with another vampire. So basically she is being a hypocrite."

"That doesn't even make any sense." Godric shook his head so rapidly that Eric became just a blur in his eyes. "Allison is not being a hypocrite because when she kissed Damon, you had no ties to her at all. You weren't fighting for her, you weren't talking to her so she had every right to be involved with him. If she were with you then we both know she wouldn't be kissing Damon. So don't you dare even compare this situation to what happened between you guys a few months ago. They were entirely different circumstances."

"Whatever. I don't have time for this." Eric grumbled, running his hands through his hair and headed towards the door. "So if there is nothing else to say, then I am out of here."

Godric could only sigh and watch his progeny zip out the door without even looking like he cared about the woman whose heart he had just stomped over.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"Well, you don't look very happy tonight." Damon's voice said to me as I got out of my car and walked across the lawn with my keys in my hand and my feet dragging heavily on the grass to where he was sitting on the porch steps waiting for me. When I got closer, I sat down on the step beside him and dropped my head down on my knees and groaned out loud, feeling more frustrated then ever before. So much for the drive calming me down. I felt his hand on my back, rubbing circles up and down my spine with his fingers. "What happened?"

"What didn't happen?" I huffed, hating the images that appeared in front of my eyes as I recounted the past 40 minutes to him. I told him about going to see Godric only to turn around and see Eric kissing that whore right in front of me. I told him about the pain I felt because of it and how I had to run out of there before I burst into tears. And how hard I had to keep my composure on the drive home so I didn't end up in an accident. And when I was done, I turned to look out across the yard and said. "I hate him."

"No you don't." Damon answered back with an almost amused tone in his voice and I shot my head to the side to look at him with a frown while he just laughed. "You may be pissed at him and mad that he would kiss another woman, but you don't hate him."

"Oh I think I do hate him." I disagreed, glaring at Damon before moving my body to lean my back against the railing and drew my knees up close to me. "I hate him so much."

"You do not and we both know that." Damon just started laughing as he said this, leaning forwards so his arms were laying across his legs. "And you know why?"

"Enlighten me."

"Now, just because I'm fighting like hell for you doesn't mean I'm not comfortable stating the obvious and here's the obvious truth. You do not hate Eric Northman because if that were the case, you would not still be keeping him in the running for your heart despite him not doing anything. If you really hated him, then that would mean you would not have felt any sadness over his actions but you did. It broke your heart and I can see that. And that means you still love him and when you love someone, you can never truly hate them. That's how I know you don't mean what you say." He explained with a knowing smirk.

"It would be so much easier if I could hate him. Then this decision would be more simple." I muttered, running my fingers through my long hair and wished like hell I could just kick Eric out of my mind and heart, but I was beginning to realize it just wasn't possible. "I just want this torment to be over with. I just want to make a choice and be happy already. Why can't I do this? Why can't it be easy?"

"Because decisions like this are not meant to be easy. Especially since they involve your heart. So they are meant to be hard and painful and difficult. But that's what makes you so certain when you do choose, because then you know you wouldn't have gone through all this for nothing." He told me, reaching out his arm so his hand touched my knee and he squeezed it gently before saying. "Just so you know, I'm going to be here until you decide. I'm not going anywhere. And even though I may not be the one you pick right now, at least I'm here. And that's better then being alone."

"Yea...maybe you're right."


	16. A long way to go

**Chapter 16 A long way to go**

"Well you certainly walked in here like a man on a mission, didn't you?" Allison's voice asked him that point blank as he walked up the steps that night to find her sitting on the bench out on the porch with a cup of tea in her hand and bottle of blood beside her, almost as if she had been anticipating his arrival. She looked up at him with a small smile and handed him the blood when he reached her and asked. "What's going on?"

"You were right, I did come here for a specific reason." He nodded in confirmation, sitting down next to her as he turned the bottle in his hands. "I wanted to talk to you about Eric and what happened."

"I don't see what else there really is to talk about. We both saw what what he did. He kissed another woman right in front of me and he had no problem doing it." She stated with a tight lipped smile and shrugged as if it didn't bother her but of course Godric could feel through their bond that it still stung. "There's not a whole lot left to talk about."

"I think there is." He countered, setting the blood on the floor and turned to the young girl. "I came here tonight to see you to apologize on behalf of Eric. It wasn't right what he did and so I know this is no excuse, but he hasn't been in the right frame of mind for a while now and I just..."

"You do realize that you do this a lot, right?" She asked, interrupting him with a frown as she tightened her hands around her cup. "Eric does something stupid or says something stupid and you always come here to apologize for him. It's like protocol or whatever. He never actually says the words for himself because you always do it for him."

"Eric, even though he's a thousand years old, he is still at the mercy of his emotions. And he never knows when to say he is sorry. But I know he is. Deep down I know it hurts him to see you hurting." Godric told her, watching her face for any sign of emotion but there really was none. "He may be stubborn to the point of recklessness, but he's not a bad person. He just hasn't had to take a good look at his behavior before and you force him to do that. And he's not used to change but he will get there, I promise you. So please just accept this apology."

"Ok, fine I accept." She waved her hand around, setting her cup on the porcj floor and tucked her hands under her arms. "But it doesn't fix things entirely. And it doesn't erase what has been going through my head since it all happened. Things that are finally starting to make me see clearly for the first time when it comes to Eric."

"What exactly are you saying?" Godric frowned, fearing the worst when she said this. It almost sounded like finality or something coming to an end.

"You know I love Eric, right?" She asked, looking at him momentarily with this incredibly sad smile as she looked like she was reliving old memories that were once a source of joy for her. "I love him so much that it has kept me blinded to the truth sometimes because I didn't want to face the alternative of not having him. So I put up with his crap for a long time because I didn't want to lose him, but now I am at the point where he has pushed me to finally face the truth."

"Which is..."

"I may love Eric, but I don't think he loves me." She stated blankly, turning away from him as she said this and it was probably a good thing because Godric found his jaw falling open at what she had just said. It was ridiculous for her to even think that Eric didn't love her, let alone actually believing it, but she clearly was doing just that. "He has been doing his best to push me away since Damon came to town and I'm tired of pushing back. And even before this all happened, he has always kept me at a distance and it's taken me this long to wake up to it that maybe all his little screw-ups have been trying to tell me something. That maybe he kissed that dancer to show he's happier with other women and maybe I have been stupid for thinking that he would still want me,"

"Allison, that not it at all. He loves you, he does." Godric insisted, reaching to take her by the arm so she would look at him. "You two have been through so much already, you have to know how much he loves you."

"He may have loved me at some point, but not anymore." She shook her head, not at all convinced by him. She smiled even more sadly as she brought her hands up and placed them on his arms. "It's been a long time coming I suspect and maybe it's time I just face it. I may look naïve, but I'm smart enough to know when I'm not wanted."

"You can't possibly be serious." Godric sat back, horrified that the moment he had come to fear was actually taken place. "Allison, you're hurt and I understand that, but you need to take some time and think it over and..."

"I have been thinking it over, it's all I have been doing for weeks and I can't hide from the truth anymore." She shook her head so her long strands fell over her shoulders. "I know you want Eric and I work things out, but I can't do that when I know it would be in vain. Eric has made it very clear that he doesn't want to be with me and I'm not going to force him to. It's done."

"No, it's not done. You just have to hold on a little bit longer. Give it more time and I'm sure he will come around." Godric was certain that if Allison and Eric could sit down and hash out all the bad things between them, then maybe it could all work out. But only if Allison would agree to it. "Don't do this, don't give up on Eric. Not now."

"I'm sorry Godric, I really am." She said in a heavy voice, looking down at her lap where her hands were settled and sighed. "But I'm done. I just can't do this anymore."

"Eric will come around. I know he will. He has been waiting for you all this time and he would be devastated if he lost you." Godric hated this conversation because he knew it was going to bring a lot of heartache to everyone and not just Eric and Allison, but to him as well. He loved Allison and she was good for Eric and he knew just how much Eric loved her in return, he just didn't always show it. But that didn't mean it wasn't there. "I'm telling you this as someone who loves you. Don't give up hope. It's not too late."

"Yes, yes it is too late." She sighed, getting up from the bench and walking across the porch to the railing with her arms wrapped around herself. "I can't wait around and let him do this to me again. If he was at leas trying then it would be different, but he's not doing anything. So this is it. I'm not waiting for him anymore. It's over and it's better for everyone if we just move on."

"Allison..." Godric started to say but she cut him off.

"Please Godric, don't make this harder then it already is." She muttered, walking by him towards the front door and went inside, but not before he saw the tears starting to fall down her face.

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"I hope you're happy Eric, I really fucking do." Godric said furiously as he stomped through the doorway of the office without even knocking and came right over to the desk where Eric had been sitting at doing paperwork and leaned over it with a glare. "I just came from speaking with Allison and you know what she told me?"

"Enlighten me." Eric rolled his eyes at his maker's yet again bad mood and he looked up out of respect to meet Godric's eyes only to be nearly blown back by how angry the older vampire was. "What?"

"You really upset that girl, Eric. And this time it pushed her to the breaking point. She's done with you." Godric spat out so harshly that Eric was momentarily only overcome by the disappointment in his maker's face. That is until his words fully sunk in and Eric was hit with the seriousness of the situation.

"What do you mean she is done with me? She can't be done with me." Eric shook his head, not wanting to believe what Godric had just told him. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. Allison was just upset and was saying things she didn't mean. She wasn't serious about their relationship being done. He wouldn't allow it. "Come on Godric, what did she really say?"

"Exactly what I told you. She's done waiting around for you to finally get your shit together. She said that you not fighting for her is proof that she needed to finally understand what the future is supposed to hold and apparently she doesn't think you're meant to be apart of it. She thinks you are happier with other women and that you don't want her anymore."

"That's bullshit." Eric snapped, jumping up from his chair. "Of course I want her. I've always wanted her."

"Kissing another woman is not showing that you want her. And in fact it has done just the opposite." Godric growled, his fury showing in every inch of his face as the two of them stared each other down. "She doesn't think you love her at all."

"But I do love her."

"Are you sure about that?" Godric actually had the nerve to ask him that, standing in front of the desk with his arms at his sides and a doubtful look in his eyes. "Because everything you have ever done involving that girl has somehow convinced her that you don't love her and she's not going to keep on waiting for you to stop screwing up. She says its over and that the both of you should move on."

"I don't want to move on. She's mine and I love her." Eric protested, grabbing his hair furiously at the thought that he had screwed things up so badly that she was now declaring them officially over. He had lost her and it was all due to his stubbornness and stupid behavior. He looked at Godric and asked desperately. "What should I do?"

"Oh no you don't. You don't get to ask me what to do when I have been telling you what to do for over a month now." Godric immediately began shaking his head, obviously wanting no part in this anymore. "I gave you plenty of chances to clean up your behavior and you didn't take them. So you are on your own. It's all on you to figure this out."

"I can't do this by myself. You have seen what I do when I am left up to my own devices. I need you to help me fix this." Eric never begged for anything in all his thousands of years as a vampire. But he knew that he had messed catastrophically and if he were going to get Allison back to himself, then he would need his maker's help. If Allison didn't listen to him, then she would listen to Godric. They were best friends after all. "I can't do this without you."

"Yes you can and you will." Godric told him, standing up straight and walked towards the door. "Do you love her Eric? Like really love her?"

"You know I do." Eric growled, frowning at the unconvinced look in his maker's eyes. "What? You don't believe me?"

"No. At this point, I don't believe you at all."Godric answered honestly, twisting open the door and preparing to step out into the hallway before looking back over his shoulder. "The way you behave and what you say are two very different things. And I don't think you love her."

"And neither do I." A new voice joined them at that very second before he appeared in front of Godric and stared straight across the room at Eric. And as soon as their eyes met for only the second time in a few weeks, Eric already knew it wasn't going to end very well. But the younger vampire didn't seem to care and just glared into the room."You and I need to talk. Now!"

"Go fuck yourself Damon."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here in my own office. You really are stupider then you look."

Damon had braced himself for the response that he knew he would get from Eric when he had made the choice to come here, so he was prepared that he was going to insulted and more then likely thrown across the room before he had even had a chance to explain why he was even here. But he kept in mind that he had a purpose and he clung to that because it was of great importance to him and he was determined to see it through because of the end result. Granted his first run in with Eric Northman had not ended all that well on his part, but Damon was nothing if not stubborn and when he had spoken to Allison tonight and listened to her explain what had been discussed with Godric and how sad she was about it all, Damon knew he had to confront the former viking and give him a piece of his mind. It was the only way to clear the air of all the animosity hanging in the air between them.

"If you want to talk stupid, then I would suggest looking in a mirror because only someone like you would fuck things up again with such a great girl." Damon hissed, stepping further into the room now that Godric had left and stared at the vampire who was so much older then him like they were on equal playing fields. "Yea, she told me what you did and she even told me what she talked about with Godric. When was the last time she talked to you?"

"Don't fuck with me. Or else I will stake you right here across this desk." Eric threatened, not moving from his chair but his eyes followed Damon as he came closer. "You don't know what is going on with Allison and me."

"Actually I do and I think that is what pisses you off." Damon pushed further despite knowing that if he took things too far then he just might end up being stabbed with a piece of wood. "She said you made out with some slut in front of her and I don't think you have any idea how much you upset her and I do not appreciate seeing the girl that I love that upset and crying."

"Oh shut up you don't know anything about me or what is happening." Eric scoffed, those intimidating blue eyes narrowing dangerously. "Allison is not your business."

"Now I think you're the one talking stupid." Damon retorted, rolling his eyes like he always did whenever he had to listen to Eric speak. "And for the record, I'm making it my business since I seem to be the only one willing to show how I feel about Allison. And that's what she is looking for. Someone to care about her."

"I do care about her." Eric finally jumped out of his seat and leaned over with his fists on the desktop and his body poised to fight. "You have no right to come in here and insinuate that I don't care about her."

"Then why don't you fucking act like it?" Damon snapped, knowing he was fanning the flames the longer he stayed here but he needed to get this out. "Even I can tell she still thinks of you, even when she is with me. But at least I'm fighting for her in the hopes that I can change her mind. But you know she loves you and yet you're not doing anything. Why?"

"Because you're already taking her away from me!" Eric imploded, grabbing a nearby lamp and shooting it across the room where it shattered against the wall, littering the floor with glass before Eric turned his fiery gaze on him. "You've been winning this from the beginning and I know that even if I were to try to win her over, it wouldn't do any good because she would still end up picking you."

"You are a real moron, you know that?" Damon rolled his eyes, turning back to the door to leave since it was obvious that he had said all that he needed to say but before he left, he paused and looked back at the blonde vampire with a shake of his head. It was time to be brutally honest. " I'm not purposely trying to take her from you. But I fell in love with her and it may have taken a while, but I told her how I felt. And I'm going to fight like hell for her, something you should have been doing as well. And the longer you don't fight for her, it's that much more quicker that you're pushing her into my arms. And you will have no one to blame but yourself."

And with that being said, Damon turned and walked out of that office. He was going to leave this horrible place and go do what Eric was supposed to be doing and go see Allison. That girl needed cheering up and he was going to be the one to do it.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

_"Are you serious?"_

_"Absolutely. Come on, you know you would like it."_

_"Yea, but there's no music."_

_"You don't need to always have music playing to dance with me."_

_"That's true...ok fine. Let's dance."_

_"See? I told you you would give in. You always do."_

_"Shut up, it's only because I like dancing and you're about the only one who has ever asked me."_

_"Now it's my turn to say: Seriously?"_

_"That's right. Guys were never interested in me and Eric wasn't really the romantic type so I never thought about it. But with you...it's fun and I like it."_

_"So you're going to smile at least once tonight?"_

_"Maybe.."_

Godric smiled to himself as he stood inside the treeline on the edge of the Stackhouse property and listened to the conversation going on between Allison and Damon. He had come here after leaving Eric's office to keep an eye on her, knowing that he shouldn't let her know he was there because she needed time away from anything associated with Eric. So he stayed out here in the woods watching the house and then saw her come out on to the porch like she did almost every night and sit there watching the stars. And then it wasn't long until Damon showed up and upon seeing her expression, the younger vampire pulled her out onto the moonlit grass and the pair began to dance while they talked. Damon twirled her and dipped her, causing the girl to laugh and smile in a way that he had promised her she would and it remained there. She was happy, at least for the moment she was and Godric was thankful for Damon's presence. Godric hadn't been close with many humans over the years, so when he and Allison forged their unique blood bond, he had come to care very deeply for the girl. And he had seen her go through so many tears and sadness in the span of just a few weeks and it shamed him to think it was mostly because of his child. He knew Eric loved her, he hadn't been more certain about anything in a very long time. But Eric wasn't ready to do anything about it at this point in his life and Godric cared enough about her to only want the best for her. He wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with Eric.

"I'm sorry." A deep voice came from behind him and Godric didn't even need to move in the slightest when he heard it speak because he knew it was just his child. So he waited, sensing Eric moving through the tree line to where he was and took a stand beside him and the former viking stared straight ahead, watching the woman he loved dancing with another vampire. "You were right all along. It took me a while to realize but it's true what you have been saying. I should be fighting for her. And I did screw up."

"And what exactly made you finally wake up to this knowledge" Godric wanted to know, not taking his eyes off of Allison and Damon so not to show his surprise at seeing Eric show up here after the way things had ended.

"Believe it or not, it was from that douche bag." Eric's voice got dark when he referred to Damon but it became steady again as he began to explain. "When you left, he basically walked in and tried to tear me a new asshole. But he made a point when he said that if Allison chose him, it was because I wasn't doing anything to stop it and I should. Because he said she still loves me and I hurt her a lot by what I did. And I don't want to hurt her anymore."

"Then be honest for once Eric, especially with me. No more bullshit." Godric turned his head to look up at his progeny and frowned. "Do you love her or is this just a game to you? Do you really want to be with her or are you only saying you know you messed up because you don't want anyone else to have her?"

"I do love her and I want to kick myself for taking this long and hurting her this much for me to finally say it without being stubborn about my intentions. But yes I do love her." Eric answered back and for once there was no smirk on his face as there usually was. Eric broke their stare and looked back at the pair but his eyes were purely on Allie. "I may have been an asshole and I may have gone about this completely wrong, but it doesn't mean I lost sight of what I want. And I want a future with her. Because it's more then just love I have for her. It's so much more."

"What do you mean by that?" Godric asked suspiciously, wondering what the hell Eric was up to and whether or not he could trust the direction this was going in. He could feel something building up through his bond with Eric and when his child gave voice to it, it was not something Godric was ever expecting him to say.

"I'm going to marry her someday Godric." He said confidently, his pale lips curving up into a determined smile as his eyes never left Allison's face. "I may have fucked up and she may have said it was over but it's not over for me. And I'm finally going to do what I should have done since she came back and that's to fight for her. She may not have picked me, but I know she will. We just have to get through this bad patch and then everything will be ok. I'm going to prove to her that I really do love her and I will make her believe it. I want a future with her and only her. And I know that now, and that's why I know that someday I can make her my wife."

"That's quite a jump you just made." Godric said, trying to sound stern and detached but he couldn't help but smile at what his child had just said. He always knew Allison and Eric were meant to be together but to hear Eric say that out loud and in that capacity, well it was just mind blowing. "You know you have a long way to go before you reach that point. Don't you?"

"It's not going to be easy but yes I know it will be a long while before that happens. But it will happen. That's not being arrogant, it's just me knowing that She and I were meant to be together for our long lives. That's just how it was meant to be." Eric explained with more confidence then he ever had when talking about Allison. "I hate that I hurt her and I will kick myself every day for it. But I love her enough to get my head out of my ass and start making an effort like I should have done from the start."

"Well all I can say is that it is about damn time!"


	17. Bringing the heat

**Chapter 17 Bringing the heat**

_The next night_

"I just want to be happy for once. Why is that not a possibility for me?" I asked myself as I sat in front of my mirror and stared at my reflection as if it were going to answer me back and give me the answers I was seeking. "Everyone else gets to be happy. So when is it going to be my turn?"

I dropped my face down into my hands and groaned out loud for as long as I could before I had to stop and take a breath. I was glad Sookie was at work tonight or else she would have been charging up to my room to make sure I was alright. But I was grateful for the alone time. I haven't had much of it lately and I needed a moment just to gather my thoughts and make sense of the chaos that had happened over the last couple of nights. It wasn't actually so much of what I had seen that one night at Fangtasia, the shock of seeing Eric kiss some random dancer was starting to wear off. No it was more like I was still feeling the sting of the conversation I had with Godric, where I had told him that I was no longer able to wait around and hope that Eric was going to love me again. It wasn't that I was regretting what I had said because I don't think I did. But it was more along the lines of I never prepared myself for how it would feel to admit out loud that things were over with Eric and I. Despite what he did, it almost killed me to face the idea that he and I would never be together again, because there was one point when I always thought we would be and I had never thought differently. So to have to let go of him and the strongest love I had ever felt for anyone besides my family was hard and I didn't know how to deal. I thought that once I put an end to this madness Eric and I were in, then maybe all the pain would stop and I could be happy. But that wasn't the case at all because ever since I had spoken those words to Godric 24 hours ago, almost every hour had me going through a weary range of emotions somehow relating back to Eric and I was ready to pull my hair out. It wasn't suppose to be like this. I was suppose to have been able to let him go. I was the one who ended it. So why wasn't I able to stop tormenting myself?

"Damn you Eric Northman." I cursed out loud, wiping my cheeks when a small set of tears started running down my face and turned around in my chair to stand up but I nearly felt my heart stop when my eyes landed on the figure dressed in black standing by my window. "God damn it Eric, don't you ever come into my bedroom without announcing yourself. It scared the shit out of me to turn around and find you here without you making any noise."

"I'm sorry. I would have knocked but you looked so distracted that I wasn't sure you would hear me." Eric said, not moving from his spot even though I was able to move my legs and stand up. I walked over to the side of the room opposite of him so there was enough space between us before I looked at him again.

"Why are you here? I made it perfectly clear to Godric that things were over between us and I know he told you. So I have to wonder what could possibly have made you think there was any reason to show your face here." I crossed my arms, cursing the universe for always making Eric show up when I had very little clothing on. Thankfully my robe was hanging over the end of my bed so I grabbed it and threw it on over my tank top and shorts, so at least I was a little more covered up. Once I had tied it around my waist, I looked up at him. "You really shouldn't be here Eric. There's nothing else to say anymore."

"Yes there is." He countered and before I knew it, he was flashing forward and appeared right in front of me, grabbing my arms before I could even think of getting away. "I want to talk about what you said to Godric."

"No." I shook my head, making sure to keep my eyes on the floor. "Don't go there."

"..we need to discuss why you think I don't love you." He shook me roughly, forcing my head up to meet his and I felt the intensity of his stare on my face. "You know that is a lie."

"Oh really? It's a lie?" I snapped, suddenly finding a burst of anger combined with strength and I managed to yank myself out of his grip and step away. "You kiss another woman and you expect me to still believe that you love me? You're delusional."

"No I was a fool for thinking I could forget about you, which was what that was all about. But it backfired on me and it was a stupid way to go about it but that is the truth." He insisted, not coming near me again, but not backing down in his stare either. "I felt like I was losing you to Damon..."

"You have lost me to Damon you big asshole." I muttered, not caring if I was interrupting him, which I knew he hated. But I was done caring about what he thought. "You didn't fight for me at all so I gave up on you."

"...and that made me crazy.." He went on as if I had never spoken. "So I tried to get you and any feelings I had for you out of my head by kissing someone else. And it didn't work because it made me realize that no one else is going to compare to you and after talking to Godric, I knew I had to fix what I had broken..."

"You can't fix it Eric." I protested, rolling my eyes at him. "It's too broken to be repaired."

"No, you can't tell me it's broken when I know for certain that it's not." He disagreed, flashing forward again and he moved towards me without breaking his stare. "I'm sorry for what I have done to you.."

"Stop it." I shook my head, not wanting to hear anymore as I started backing away. I did not want to hear this coming out of his mouth. I did not want to relieve all this. It was suppose to be done and over.

"I'm sorry for always hurting you and making the worst errors in judgment. I know I'm always doing the most selfish things and breaking your heart time and time again. And you don't deserve it. You never did."

"I said stop it." I kept backing up until my back hit the wall and I covered my ears with my hands but I could still hear every word that came out of his mouth.

"And if I was really a good guy then I would leave you alone and let you be happy with someone who would make you happy." He replied, moving up in front of me until there was no more space between us and I had no means of escape. His hands came up and cupped either side of my face, wiping under my eyes whenever a tear fell and he made me look at him. "But I'm not a good guy. And I'm too selfish to let you go. I know I would be shit without you and no matter how many women I could be with, none of them are ever going to make me forget how much I love you."

"Please just stop it." I begged him, wishing I had the strength to look away but I didn't. I couldn't stop staring into those blue eyes, eyes that I had once thought looked at me with love. "Eric, please don't make this more painful then it already is.."

"I love you." He blurted out, his fingers getting lost in my hair as he stared down at me. "I should have said that a long time ago but I was stupid and a complete moron. And I will never be able to really fix what I have done. But I'm going to do what I should have done from the beginning. I want to prove to you that I still want to be with you."

"That's not going to happen. You fucked up too badly and I don't want to see you anymore. I won't let you hurt me again." I informed him, moving to the side to get around him so I could get out of here. But when I moved, so did he, stepping right back in front of me so I couldn't get passed him. I tried darting to the right but he just grabbed me and pushed me against the wall and that's where I lost it and started throwing my fists at every part of him I could find. "Get away from me Eric. I hate you!"

"No you don't." He said simply, grabbing my wrists when they swung near his face. "You're pissed off at me, but you could never hate me. You know I'm right."

"Don't tell me what I mean or don't mean." I shouted, tears streaming down my face as I fought harder against him. "I hate you for doing this to me. I hate you for making me love you. I hate you for being so damn stubborn about everything. I hate you for always hurting me. I hate you for always making me cry..."

"I hate myself for being the one to do that. I hate seeing you cry, you know that." Eric said quietly, loosening his grip on my arms so they could drop to my sides. "I don't like that I keep hurting you like this."

"Then stop doing it!" I exclaimed, ripping myself away from him and walking away with my hands on my hips before I whirled around to face him. "I'm serious, I can't take this anymore. I'm tired of hurting all the time. I just want things to be ok again. I can't handle being hurt by you one more time. Either fucking fight fight for me or just let it all be over and make a clean break."

"You made it seem like you already chose Damon, so what's the point?"

"Oh don't start that bullshit. It's annoying." I snapped, wiping at my teary vision again with my hand. "You know very well that I still want you and I can't just pick Damon by default because I never figured out how I felt about you. And that's because you weren't willing to prove you still want me. And even now with you here, I still don't know if that's true. I don't know you if you still want me..."

"Oh trust me..." Eric moved so quickly that I couldn't even see him until I found myself flat against the opposite wall with his face only inches away from mine and I saw that familiar smirk I use to love on his lips as he looked into my eyes. "..I still want you."

And then, he leaned in and kissed me, his lips touching mine gently and that was all that was needed to unleash a flood of emotions inside of me that I was helpless to stop and a part of me didn't want to stop. It had been a long time since I felt this rush of desire shoot through me and I knew that if I gave into it for even just a little while, then I would forget everything and only be able to focus on my body's response to Eric. I should have stopped him, should have said no. But I couldn't find the will to say those words. All I could think about was how it felt to have him touch me again. So when I felt his hands traveling up my side, I didn't stop him and simply curled my fingers over his arms and moved closer to him, deepening the kiss as much as possible because I didn't know when the next time it would be that we would be in this position. His body felt just as wonderful against mine as it always had in the past, strong and broad compared to my delicate and tiny frame, but he still was my perfect physical match in every aspect and it was like we didn't even need to think about what we were doing, our bodies knew each other and they did it by instinct. Eric's fingers moved passed my waist to the front of me where my robe was tied tightly around my hips and he started to loosen it without breaking the kiss.. Once the robe fell open, he moved his hands to my shoulders, slipping the thin material down my arms until it fell in a heap by my feet and I felt his lips kissing their way across my jaw, leaving my skin tingling and having me gasping for breath. His hands knew just where to touch me to make that feeling erupt in my stomach and the time away from each other hadn't made me or him forget it. It was a good thing he was holding me up because the way my legs were quivering so hard, I would not have been able to stay standing, not with the way he was touching me. I let my hands drift over his backside, feeling every inch of him that wasn't covered by clothes and even then my fingers slipped under the fabric just to feel his skin on mine. And as soon as I did that, I felt a rush of arousal, a flood of desire to rip his clothes off of him and have him do the same to me, just so I could have him take me there right against the wall. I wanted to feel his mouth on places of my body that they hadn't been before. I wanted him to rediscover every inch of my skin as if it were the first time. I wanted to see him stare deep into my eyes, touching my hair right before I felt him slide into me...

"No. Stop it." I suddenly came to my senses when I realized that this was going too far when we hadn't even solved any of our issues yet. I couldn't let this happen when things were so up in the air right now, no matter how good it felt. I had to do what was right for me and that's why I was able to pull back from him and shake my head. "Eric no. We can't do this."

"Actually we can." He went back to my neck, sucking on the skin at the base of my throat that almost instantly brought back that tidal wave of arousal, only this time I was able to beat it back before it could swell. I pushed at his shoulders rapidly until he stopped attacking my neck with his mouth and released me from his hold with a frown. "What? You don't want me.."

"Of course I want you, that's not the problem." It took everything in me not to jump him at the moment. I may have been more angry with him then I ever have been before, but that didn't mean my body didn't still crave him. Still, I had to keep myself under control until I figured things out. "But I can't get intimate with you. Not until I'm sure that you're serious this time."

"I am serious..." He insisted, making a move to grab me again. "Serious about ripping your clothes off."

"You have no idea how much that turns me on right now." I blurted out without even knowing I was going to say it and as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I was horrified and immediately slapped my hands over my lips. "I wasn't suppose to say that."

"I'm glad you did." He was smirking now, clearly pleased by my sudden admission. "Can't we just forget about everything for just a few hours and be together?"

"Not right now. It's too soon." I stated, trying to keep my voice steady, but the way he was looking at me, his eyes so full of lust and desire, it forced me to squeeze my legs together to ease the ache I was feeling below the waist. I had to get him out of here before I lost all control. "Please leave or else I will have to rescind your invitation."

"Maybe you should take away my right to enter this house because I don't know how long I will be able to stay away from you now." He replied, his lips ghosting over my mouth, briefly kissing me before he stepped back and moved towards the window. "I will go because you asked me to, but I'm warning you right now. I will be returning to you sometime this evening."

"We'll see about that." I rolled my eyes as I leaned down to grab my robe and slip my arms back into the sleeves. "Good night Eric."

"Oh it has been a good night." He smirked at me, poising on the edge of the window and looking back at me. "But it will be even better when I come back."

And then he disappeared, leaving me to wonder what exactly he meant by his last statement.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Well well well. Someone looks pretty pleased with himself." Godric said teasingly the moment Eric stomped his way into the house and slammed the door shut behind him. His maker came into the front hallway with his arms crossed and an unfamiliar smirk on his face, one that he never use to wear but something must have amused him for him to look like that. " I assume you must have had a very satisfactory evening."

"I can guarantee you nothing at all happened." Eric shook his head, walking passed the older vampire on his way to the kitchen and even without the noise of footsteps, Eric knew Godric was following him. And sure enough, when he had turned around with a bag of human blood in his hand that he had bought earlier in the week, he found his maker leaning against the wall with that infuriating smirk on his face. "What?"

"How was your time with Allison?" He asked, the smirk twisting tighter at the mention of the young Fae.

"How did you know I went to see her?" Eric demanded, setting down the blood on the counter and narrowed his eyes at him maker. "I didn't tell you where I was going tonight."

"Eric, I have a bond with both you and Allison and I can feel anything that the two of you are feeling when I let those bonds run free. And tonight, I did not have them closed, so I felt everything. And I mean everything." Godric replied knowingly, raising his eyebrows to emphasize his point as if it weren't already made and for the first time in a while, Eric felt horrified by what his maker was getting at. "And I guess things went alright."

"Something along those lines." Eric shrugged not wanting to have this conversation with his maker of all people. It was too personal.

"From the lust I felt through my bond to Allison, I would say it was more then just alright." Godric heckled, moving from his spot on the wall and came around the side of the counter. "You left a very aroused girl behind and from what I'm feeling right now, she wants you to finish the job."

"Godric please. Don't ever talk like that. It's gross." Eric shook his head, getting away from the older vampire by walking clear out of the room. "Besides, she was the one who told me to leave in the first place."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't still want you." Godric kept following him, into the living room where Eric was trying to relax on the couch in front of the fire and stood in front of him with his hands tucked into his pockets. "Perhaps you should go back to her."

"And perhaps you should mind your own business." Eric snapped back with an underlining growl in his voice.

"You're just on edge because things didn't go the way you wanted them to" Godric sat down in the chair next to the couch and laughed. "And I never took you for the type of person to give up so easily."

"I didn't give up." Eric protested, throwing his arms over his eyes to shield his view of his maker. "She didn't want me to stay and unless I wanted her to rescind my invitation, I had no choice but to leave."

"I still say you go back there tonight for a second time. If not to...get physical..." Godric started to snicker at this before forcing himself to become serious. "..then at least go back to show her you are serious about trying things with her for real this time."

"Why can't it be simple?" Eric questioned, looking at his mentor for the answers that he was so desperately seeking. "Why is this so hard to fix?"

"Cause matters of the heart are never easy to overcome. Love is not simple by any definition no matter who you are." Godric answered back , more serious then he had been when the conversation started. "And you and Allison are definitely not simple people, you never have been. But I knew back before I was resurrected that you two would find a way back to each other and I still believe that now."

"You really think she and I will be back together?" Eric asked, staring into the flames while contemplating the situation. Although he knew what he wanted the eventual outcome to be, he knew that it was going to take a lot of fixing on his part to get to that point. But he had to know if it was even worth it to try.

"I have no doubt about the two of you...you and Allison needed to take this journey apart to figure some things out, but when everything is settled, you guys will be together. I know that for certain."

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"Ok, its going to be a peaceful rest of the night. Everything will be calm and normal." I said to myself as I stood inside my bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a towel as I looked at my reflection in the mirror above the vanity. I had an uneventful last couple of hours and I was determined that the rest of my night was going to go the same way. Damon was stopping by later and Eric hadn't shown his face so I figured he wasn't going to come by again tonight which was a good thing. Because if he showed up and kissed me the way he had not that long ago, then I was sure there was no way I would be able to resist going further. I may have been furious with him, but after tonight I realized just how much I missed having sex with him. And how he made me feel with his hands and his mouth and his tongue...

"Someone is getting all hot and bothered." A deep voice came from the direction of the door and I whipped around only to find the owner of the voice leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his black t-shirt and that damn smirk on his face. But boy did he look every bit as good as he did in my head, and better because he was actually standing in front of me. He seemed to know what I was thinking because one moment he was still by the door and the next second it was closed and locked and he was standing before me, looking down from his great height while he ran a single long finger across the top of the towel I had tucked around me. "I told you I would be back. And what great timing, huh?"

"You should have waited until I was done showering before you came barging in here." I stepped back from him with a frown so he wasn't touching me even though every nerve in my body was telling me to jump him. "If you insist on showing up here without even calling then at least leave the room so I can shower and then we can talk."

"Who said I came here to talk?" He asked wickedly, appearing in front of me again, this time his hand moving to my back and pushing me right into his arms. "I felt your desire for me earlier but I only left out of respect for you. And now I can feel you want me again. So why not give to what we're both feeling and just be together?"

"Because we can't..." I began to protest but he wouldn't allow me to even formulate a full sentence because his hand came up to the back of my head and pulled me up to meet his waiting lips. I was so surprised by his actions and the sudden up rise of arousal I felt that I wasn't able to begin to draw up the urge to fight back. I knew I should have felt the need to stop this, to make him pause before we could get in too deep but I just couldn't find that feeling anywhere. I wanted him to kiss me and I definitely wanted him to touch me and any negative feeling I had for him at the moment went out the window when he pulled back and looked at me.

"Do you still want me to go?" He asked softly, his lips moving down to my ear so I could feel the coolness from his mouth as he spoke. "Because I can stop right now and leave you alone. But I don't want to go."

"I ...uh...I don't want you to go either." I managed to say, partially hating myself for giving in this quickly, but it had been a very long time since I had been intimate with someone and not just with anyone but with Eric. Eric had been my only sexual experiences and my body had not soon forgotten just how amazing he could make me feel when we were moving as one. The rest of the problems we had could be pushed aside for now because at the moment, I was only able to think of one thing. I looked up into Eric's eyes and said. "Make love to me."

Eric wasted no time in following orders and his actions were so quick and surprising that I was left dizzy and unsteady on my feet. Somehow after those words had left my mouth, he had not only ripped the towel off my body but he had also stripped off his clothing as well and moved us right into the shower under the freezing cold water. But I barely noticed the temperature when his mouth was back on mine, furiously attacking me with his intoxicating kisses leaving a trail of fire everywhere they touched. He had his arm around my waist with his free hand on the back of my head, keeping me close to him as if he thought I would try and move away. But that wasn't the case at all as I actually tried to pull him closer to me and in doing so, I found myself being hoisted into the air right against the wall so our faces were on the same level as each other and I had my legs wrapped around his waist. It was weird to be looking at Eric as if we were the same height instead of looking up as I always did when he kissed me. But being in this position reminded me of the first time we had sex in the shower back in Dallas and I found my lips tugging upward into a grin as his mouth left mine and he began sucking on my skin on my throat, making me mentally prepare myself that he was most likely going to fed on me. And for the first time, I did not mind. Nothing about this evening was going normally and when I placed my hands on the side of his face, I pulled him more tightly against my neck, essentially giving him permission to bite me. So when I heard that familiar click over the sound of the water, I only had a second to wait before I felt his fangs pierce through my skin and into the pulsating vein in my neck. I felt that first rush of pain as I always did when this happened but then his hand moved lower and my attention was pulled away by a more pleasing sensation as I felt his fingers suddenly thrust into me, forcing my arms to tighten around him as my eyes rolled back into my head at this feeling. He pivoted his hand barely even an millimeter and I felt my body beginning to spasm, the slightest move causing me to be overcome by a wave of arousal that I had not felt in such a long time. But just as I was sure that I was about to reach my peak, his fingers suddenly disappeared and the feeling went with it, filling me with a disappointed longing that was clinging to every part of me.

"What the fuck?" I exclaimed, opening my eyes and seeing that Eric had now removed himself from my neck and was now watching me with a smirk as I struggled against our tightly clasped bodies, desperate to get the satisfied end that I was craving. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because I wanted you to look at me." He said simply and then before I could blink, he shifted our positions and placed on hand on the wall next to me and used the other one to lift me up and then I felt him slide into me, joining us together for the first time since that awful morning when he broke my heart. But I barely remembered that now as I felt him grinding him hips into mine as I was pressed against that wall, barely able to hold on as it was.

"Oh my god." My breath came out heavy and uneven as he thrust into me, his movements not as careful and as gentle as they had been in the past. This time feeling him move inside of me was more passionate and erotic then all the other times combined. It was still the act of making love but it was more primal, more animalistic and almost with the sense as if he was doing this for what very well be the last time. And it was on such another level that I forgot every care in the world and even forgot about the reason I was even mad at him in the first place. I ran my fingers through his short blonde hair, feeling it slip over my hands as I quickly approached my climax and I knew that the next thrust was what was going to push me over the edge. But it wasn't his movements that made me reach my satisfaction, it was what he said next as he was reaching his own pleasure.

"Oh Allison." He whispered against the side of my face as I felt him shudder against me, fulfilling the need to hear him say my name as it should have been said that morning all those months ago in the dark of his house. And now that I heard my name come from his mouth instead of my cousin's name, I felt my walls come down at that moment and our bond ran free and unfiltered and I could feel just how much he loved me. He hadn't been lying this whole time when he said it was really me that he loved, I had just been so blinded by my hurt and rage that I couldn't believe him. But the proof was there in what I felt and a blood bond didn't lie and it was all the evidence I needed to pull back from him and look him in the eye.

"I love you Eric." I whispered, touching his face with my fingers just as he thrust into me one final time, bringing me a crashing wave of satisfaction that seemed to roll over for the next three minutes without stopping before I felt him crash against me and come to a silent standstill with his forehead on my shoulder and my arms around him. Neither of us said anything for a while and for a second, I thought that nothing would be said after this moment we shared. But I was about to be proven wrong and shown just how right this night was ending by the sight of Eric looking up at me and then with a genuine smile, he opened his mouth and said the sweetest thing I had ever heard him say.

"I will love you forever my beautiful little Faerie."

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"Please don't tell me you are kicking me out again." Eric looked back over his shoulder as he felt a small pair of hands pushing at his lower back to move him towards the front door of the house. "We have sex and you're making me leave? I feel so used."

"Oh shut up. You're Eric Northman, if anyone was to use anyone it would be you." Allison replied with a serene sort of smile, a smile that she hadn't even attempted to use in his presence since they had been reunited over 2 months ago. "And it's not that I want you to leave, but Damon is suppose to drop by tonight and I don't need to have a repeat of the last time you guys saw each other."

"Damon is coming here?" Eric dug in his heels and Allison fell into his back when he forced them to come to a stop and he was glad he had closed their blood bond because he was feeling his blood start to boil at the mere mention of the other vampire. He turned around and looked down at her, dressed in only a robe and a pair of flip flops with her long hair still damp from the shower and he felt himself stiffen. "Are you planning on having sex with him too?"

"You always have to ruin everything don't you?" That smile she had been wearing only seconds ago was now gone and had been replaced with a look so dark that he was hit with the sudden feeling that if he didn't apologize then she was as good as gone. But she spoke before he could even open his mouth. "And no, I do not plan on having sex with him. I could never be that kind of girl who sleeps with two different guys in one night and I can't believe you would even say something like that."

"I'm sorry, you're right it was wrong of me to say that." He quickly said, reaching out for her arm when she refused to look at him. "I was just jealous."

"Well I don't like this side of you when you get jealous. Because when you get like this, you get rude and mean and the last time, you got violent and destroyed part of my house. So I understand that you are threatened by Damon, but do not ever say anything like that again if you are hoping to have a chance with me." She frowned up at him with raised eyebrows, reaching around him and grabbing the door knob and pulling it open before slipping out of his grasp out on to the porch. "I shouldn't have given you the chance to get as far as you did tonight, but I can't lie and say that I didn't want it to happen, because God knows I did. I missed nights like these and I don't want them ruined because of your jealousy issues."

"I was being an asshole and and if I wasn't so stupid then I wouldn't have already screwed up this third chance the second we make progress." He followed her outside, watching as she leaned against the unbroken part of the railing and reached up to toy with her long damp hair. He found himself grinning, always enjoyed seeing her do this in the past. "So ignore that and forget I ever said it."

"Ok, fine." She waved one hand in the air with a shrug. "Consider it gone for the moment, but if you let it happen again then I won't be so lenient next time."

"So...does that mean I get to stay for a little bit longer?" He asked hopefully, smirking when he saw the effect his words had on her and he could feel through their bond that she was considering it. He made a move towards her, his hands going to her waist and he pulled her back into his arms like he had done in the shower and squeezed her hips in his palms. "Please..."

"Don't try and tempt me with that smile. It's not going to work." She tried to keep a stern look on her face but she wasn't able to keep it up for long and soon her face was taken over by a smile and a sparkle in her green eyes. He felt her hands move up to grasp his arms, her body pressing against his in an enticing way and for the briefest second he wanted to throw her down on that porch and ravish her. But her hand on his face stopped him from actually making that a reality. "Eric look, as wonderful as tonight has been and as amazing as it felt to be with you again, I still need time to figure everything out. Things changed with us so fast but it doesn't mean I forgot that I still have other things to understand. And that's why I can't let you stay. I want you to but you can't."

"I wish I could say I don't feel the urge to stick around and punch Damon the minute he shows up to see you, but that's exactly how I feel. I don't want anyone else to have you. Especially a vampire like Damon Salvatore." He moved one of his hands up to her face so he could cup her chin and looked into her eyes, feeling more honest with her then he had at any other time. "I know I said I was going to change and make things better, but for the first time I don't feel confident about myself at all. In fact, I still feel like I am about to lose you."

"For a vampire as old as you, you contain so many different sides to your personality." She smiled again, this time it stuck as she moved her hands up to his and then did something he wasn't expecting. She turned his palms flat on her chest, right over the spot where her heart was frantically beating under his fingers and she covered his hands with hers. "Do you feel that? My heart still pounds like crazy when I'm around you. So don't give up, ok? You know I still love you even if I do need to figure out my feelings for Damon."

"Well, that sort of lifts my mood." He replied smartly, enjoying the feel of her heart beating under his palm before he looked at her and asked, "But since you won't allow me to stay, can I at least hold you for a few minutes longer?"

"Yea, I would love that."

* * *

><p><em><span>4 minutes later<span>_

"She looks happy." Damon found himself muttering under his breath as he stood deep in the treeline and stared through the branches at the two figures standing close together in each others embrace on the porch of the house, seemingly in their own world as they held each other tightly. Damon had gotten there not that long ago, just in time to see them coming out of the house together and he had fallen back to wait until Eric left. And in that time he had overheard the words spoken between them and saw the looks that passed from theirs eyes and he had been unable to leave this spot. He could only stand there and keep watch as if this simple scene was trying to tell him something.

He watched Allison for the most part, taking in the way she had moved when she was around Eric and it was almost fascinating to watch. It was almost like he was seeing her for the first time and her interaction with Eric said worlds about the history between them. Sure she had told him the details about their relationship, but to see them together when they thought no one else was around was totally different. She moved into his arms like she had done it a thousand times and she probably had and the way he held her was evident that a moment of passion had occurred before he had gotten them. But it wasn't the fact that she had sex with Eric that bothered him, it was something else entirely. Something that shot through him as he kept on looking at her. They weren't speaking anymore, so it wasn't words that made his body fill up with this unfamiliar feeling. It was watching her in the arms of another vampire, laying her smooth cheek against Eric's chest and closing her eyes with a smile that would have been present as if she were dreaming of the most relaxing thing in the world. And she looked content and at peace as the two of them held each other as the minutes went on. And there was a moment, when Allison lifted her head off his chest and she locked eyes with Eric and even though not a word was spoken, the way she was looking up at the former viking said more then her mouth ever could. That was when Damon took a step back as a realization hit him at that moment and he gave voice to what he knew was going to happen.

"She's going to end up picking Eric, I know she is."


	18. Searching for clarity

**Chapter 18 Searching for clarity**

_The next day_

"Damn it!" I shouted, slamming the phone down on the kitchen table, surprising Sookie with my sudden actions when she walked into the room almost immediately after I had been flooded with frustration and she jumped when I hit the table top with my closed fists and groaned. "Stupid stupid stupid..."

"Allie what's wrong?" She asked, quickly running over and grabbing my wrists before I could start pounding on the furniture again and cocked her head in confusion. "You have been stomping around this house all damn day and now you're taking your frustrations out on our table. Either tell me what's wrong or I will throw you in a padded room and lock the door."

"It's Damon, I can't get in touch with him and I always have been able to do it before." I explained, looking down at the phone and willed it to ring, for Damon's name to appear on the caller I.D. But the screen remained blank like it had for almost 24 hours. I looked at Sookie and clenched my hands. "Something is wrong. I just know it."

"You always think the worse." Sookie released me and stood back with an amused smile on her lips. "Just because he's not picking up, doesn't mean something bad happened. And it's the middle of the afternoon, he's most likely sleeping."

"I'm aware of that but I haven't been able to speak to him since early last night when he said he was going to drop by later. And then after Eric left, I sat in the living room and waited for Damon to show up but he never did. And I've been calling since midnight, and there is still no answer. So yea, I do think something happened." I replied, almost out of breath as I said all this in an almost incoherent ramble. "He always came over when he said he would and he always answered my calls on the first few rings. And now I can't get in touch? You don't think that's a little odd?"

"I don't know...maybe." Sookie shrugged, running her fingers through the end of her ponytail before she sighed and took a seat across the table from me. "But maybe he was hit with a wave of jealousy and ran off to take some time to himself."

"I don't think so, because its not like he saw me with Eric so that can't be it." I shook my head with a frown, momentarily thinking that maybe she was right and maybe he did see me with Eric and he was jealous. But Eric had been right there and he gave no indication that there was another vampire on the property. So Damon couldn't have known that Eric and I had been together. "I wonder what the hell happened to make him distant like this."

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. He will call you back soon I am sure. And if he doesn't, then we deal with it. But don't freak out until there is a reason to. Otherwise you are going to drive yourself crazy." Sookie pointed out in that maternal way she had always used whenever I had something crazy going on in my life. It was nice to know that even though she was only 2 years older, she was still so protective of me as if I was still a little girl and that made me smile at her appreciatively.

"I will try and keep that in mind." I said with a sigh that escaped heavily through my parted lips and dropped my chin into one of my hands. "But I will always assume something has gone wrong when someone suddenly is unreachable. People just shouldn't do this to me, they know it makes me crazy."

"Just relax and take it easy. He will call and when he does, don't go freaking out all over him because of this. He's a vampire, he's bound to disappear for no reason every once in a while." Sookie told me, clasping her hands together tightly. "It's nothing to lose sleep over."

"So you're telling me that if Bill wasn't answering the phone or returning your messages then you wouldn't be worried at all?" I threw back at her, watching her face react with a frown and I knew I had her stumped there with that one. "Because we both know you would be just as freaked out as I am right now."

"Alright, you're correct about that. But Bill and Damon are two very different vampires, so they will react in different ways. And Damon is the type to just get up and leave with no notice to anyone. So I still stay by what I said before. He's fine and just being anti-social right now and you really shouldn't worry." She reached across the table and took my hand in hers and smiled. "Please don't get worked up about this. Everything will be fine. I know it will be."

"I sincerely hope you are right."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

_Ring...ring...ring_

"Oh boy, this is going to end up being a great conversation." Damon Salvatore muttered to himself with a smirk as he looked at the screen on his cell phone and saw the name flashing over and over again until he sighed and flipped it open with a roll of his eyes. "Well hello brother, so nice to hear from you."

"You stupid idiot!" Was the first thing that came out of Stefan's mouth as soon as Damon answered the call and he could hear his brother stomping across the floor loudly before he spoke again. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone has been for the last 24 hours?"

"Uh not really." Damon held back from laughing because he knew that if he did that then Stefan was most likely going to hang up on him and Damon had picked up this one call for a specific reason. So he couldn't afford to piss off his brother. If there was anyone's advice that he needed it was Stefan's.

"Damon, you leave town without any warning and nearly scare the shit out of Allison who has been calling both Elena and I nearly every 2 hours to see if we have heard from you. Do you have a clue as to how stupid this was?" Stefan growled and there was the distinct sound of splintering wood in the background, signifying that his little brother had most likely destroyed a piece of furniture. "We all thought something had happened to you when you weren't picking up. And if it wasn't for the fact that you have done this before at least a few times, then I would have been there in Bon Temps by nightfall looking for you."

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal." Damon shrugged carelessly but he knew it was a big deal and he knew Allison would react as she had, calling his brother and Elena and spreading the hysteria because he had been too chicken shit to tell her why he wasn't talking to her. "But obviously I am fine since I am on the phone talking to you."

"Where are you? Your voice sounds weird." Stefan stated, his tone not lightening up despite his less confrontational words. "Are you still in Bon Temps?"

"No, I'm in some crack pot of a town in Alabama. I could only travel so far before the sun came up and I needed to take cover for the day." Damon told Stefan, looking around his surroundings and took comfort in the complete darkness he had found himself in. "I broke into a mausoleum in a graveyard and that's where I'm hiding until I can travel again."

"I'm surprised you even have cell service in a room of concrete." Stefan muttered, clearly agitated still. "So what the hell is going on? Why did you leave so suddenly?"

"Because I like to make my life harder then it has to be." Damon retorted like the smart ass that he was as he sat up against the side of the wall and propped his arm up on his knee. "I mean, I'm not going to become like you and lead this simple existence with my girlfriend and never have any adventures of my own."

"For the record, I am perfectly happy with my life at the moment." Stefan shot back, always on the defensive whenever anyone made a comment on his life and the way it was very non-dramatic. "And I'm guessing this disappearing act of yours has to do with the Allison situation. So explain."

"It's not even anything big, she still says she needs time to decide between Eric and me." Damon explained, thinking back to how he had told her that the night he had returned to tell her his plans for sticking around. He had been serious when those words slipped out. And he was ok with it, at least he thought he was. "And I was fine with giving her all the time she needed, because I didn't feel threatened."

"And I'm guessing something did happen because not only did you leave town and ignore her calls, but you sound like you're bothered by this." Stefan pointed out, always able to pick up on the underlining things in Damon's voice. "So what happened?"

"I was supposed to go and see her last night and I told her I would definitely be there so she would be home. But I was coming through the woods when I heard her talking to someone inside the house and then she came out onto the porch with Eric Northman. And neither of them could tell I was there, so I hide in the tree line and watched them..."

"Cause that's not creepy at all."

"Anyway...I was watching her more specifically and I could just tell that she and him had been having sex, but it wasn't that knowledge that made me leave. It was more the look on her face as she was staring at Eric, like she didn't want to look away. She looked happy to be there in his arms and it was like she knew she could be happy if that weren't to change at all in the future. And that's when it hit me."

"What did?"

"That she was going to end up picking Eric." Damon stated, resisting the urge to throw the phone across the tomb. "I just knew it by the way she was looking at him. It wouldn't matter that I was the one who put in all the effort. It didn't make a difference that he did absolutely nothing since I got there, she still was so deeply in love with him that I just knew nothing I did would change anything. She would still take him back in the end."

"So you left.."

"Yup, I had to get away and clear my head." Damon knew it sounded lame and if there was any other way to phrase it so it sounded better then he would say it. But right now, he wasn't concerned with how he was coming across. He was more concerned in getting his brother's opinion on what was really on his mind. "And I needed to get your advice on something specific pertaining to this whole thing."

"I'll try and help as best as I can." Stefan promised him. "Just tell me what you need."

"I need to know if it is worth it or not to keep on trying. To get her for myself." Damon said, finding his face hardening at the thought that the outcome could possibly not go in his favor. He refused to dwell on that for too long because if he let it fester, then it would consume him entirely and he needed to keep his head focused if he was going to keep fighting. "Even with the odds stacked against me, a part of me thinks I should keep trying. But I needed another perspective."

"Well I know it's not all that easy for you to admit when you need help, but I know you care for her very deeply and would put aside your pride to get what you want. And I know you want her. So my advice is, don't give up. I think you should fight for her still." Stefan commented with no hesitation and normally Damon would give him a hard time for sounding like such a wimp, but it was Damon who had asked him for his opinion, so he couldn't give his brother hell for being honest. "Damon, it doesn't really matter what I think you should do. Only you can decide if it is worth it to keep trying. If you think you have unfinished business, then go back and settle the score. But that is your choice. No one else has that power."

"If only it were that easy." Damon hissed, glaring into the darkness of the tomb. "I'm searching for clarity here and I just can't find it.."

"You will. Eventually you will."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"So I need your help." I said to Godric later that night when he came by to see me and we sat around the kitchen table clutching our drinks of choice while he waited for me to tell him why I had asked him here. Sookie was with Bill for the evening only after I promised her that I wouldn't spend the entire night by myself. And wanting to keep my word, I had called up Godric and asked him to come over because if there was anyone I could talk to about what was going through my head, it was him. So once I had gotten him a bottle of blood and made myself a cup of coffee, I sat down and finally settled my eyes on him, ready to start explaining myself. "I need you to tell me what to do."

"Allison, I'm not your maker, I'm your friend. I can't tell you what to do." Godric said with a sly smile from across the table as he raised the blood to this lips. When he was gone, he patted his mouth with a napkin and looked at me. "But I assume by you needing to talk to me that this has to do with your current situation with Eric and Damon."

"I mean, aside from the fact that Damon is no where to be found right now, this doesn't make things any more clear. I still have no idea who I should be with." I told him honestly, running my hands rapidly through my hair. "I thought I would have an idea by now but I'm just stumped and I discussed this with Sookie plenty of times before. And now I just need a fresh perspective."

"And that's where I come in." Godric nodded as he set down the bottle and leaned forward with his arms folded over each other. "Well, I don't know how much of a help I will be because I'm not the one who has to sort out my feelings."

"Yea, that's true, but I still would like you to at least try and point me in the right direction." I retorted, rubbing my face with my fingers before I continued speaking. "I've gone over this for what seems like a million times and I figured that I would have at least a tiny bit of a clue as to which one is right for me but it's like there is this wall standing inside my head that keeps me from figuring it out. And it is so incredibly frustrating."

"I can imagine that to be true and I have seen how difficult it has been for you these last few weeks so I will do whatever I can to help you." Godric promised, his hand reaching over and settling on top of mine. "It will be ok."

"I wish I had as much faith in my life as you do." I grumbled, dropping my chin in my other hand and sighed. "It's just so hard. There are so many aspects about the both of them to consider and the more I go over it in my head, the more clouded it becomes. And now I don't even know what I think."

"Then do this." Godric suggested, sitting back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Think about Eric and Damon separately and write a list of whatever comes to mind about them."

"You're serious?"

"I know it sounds kind of corny, but at least it forces you to think hard about what first comes up when you think about them. And then it might make things clearer if you see it out on paper instead of locked up in your head." He explained with a smile, touching his fingers to his chest over the spot where his still heart resided and smiled again. "Your heart is going to point you in the right direction in the end, but in order for it to do that, you need to know what you're trying to figure out. So try it and see if it helps."

"I've got nothing to lose so why not." I shrugged, wrapping my hands around my cup of coffee and took a sip. "At this point I will try anything."

"It will all make sense eventually. You just have to give yourself time to make sense of it all."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"You have that look on your face and it never means anything good."

Godric tried to smile at his child as he walked in the front door of Eric's home in Shreveport in an attempt to ease the obvious look of worry on his progeny's face but he found that he could just not keep it up. How could he when he had to say something that was going to essentially wreck havoc on Eric's soul when he said it? He could have avoided it and on the drive here from Allison's home, he had considered just not saying anything. After all, Eric didn't know he had gone to see Allison and had no idea of the conversation that had taken place. So he would be none the wiser if it was never brought up. But Godric had to tell him this. As much as it would hurt Eric to hear, he had to prepare himself for the inevitable. So when he sat down on the edge of the couch on which Eric was also sitting, Godric crossed his arms and nodded. "You're right, it's not really good at all."

"I was hoping I was wrong but I guess not." Eric frowned, his lips pressed into a thin pale line as the two vampire stared at each other and Eric's eyes seemed to search his face as if trying to read him. "What's going on?"

"I just came from seeing Allison and we had a long talk. About everything, you and Damon and how she felt about the both of you. She didn't decide anything but her feelings are very torn and confused right now. And when I left the house, I had to come here and speak with you." Godric explained, watching his child for any sign of lashing out but there was none so he went on. "Eric, I think you need to..."

"Oh no you don't. Don't you dare start using that tone." Eric demanded furiously, seeming to know what he was about to say and deciding to cut him off at the pass. "Whenever you talk to me like that it always ends up with me blacking out and coming to surrounded by broken furniture and body parts. So don't do it."

"Trust me I wish I didn't have to but I need to make sure you are aware of the situation." Godric pushed further despite Eric's hesitation to talk about this. "Eric, things aren't any clearer for Allison right now. She is so confused about who she feels more strongly for and I worry that her decision may be one that you don't like."

"What are you saying?" Eric narrowed his eyes dangerously so they no longer appeared blue and instead went dark.

"I'm saying that you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that she may choose Damon over you." Godric said bluntly, hating the look of pain that flashed through Eric's eyes when he said this and he had wished more then anything that he could have avoided saying this at all. But Godric knew that this pain was nothing compared to the pain that would have been present had Eric not been told the seriousness of the situation. "I don't know if she is leaning that way. But with how confused she is, she could very well decide that she wants to be with Damon and I just want you to..."

"I get it. You want me to be prepared." Eric cut in again, rolling his eyes sarcastically as if this was no big deal. "But there is nothing to be prepared for. She is going to pick me. So don't worry."

"What if she doesn't pick you Eric? What then?" Godric wanted to know, watching as Eric turned his focus on the fireplace. "What if the relationship is over for her?"

"It's not over for me. So I do not plan on giving up." Eric said furiously, shaking his head as if he were talking more to himself then to Godric and it began to worry Godric. "This is going to end up in my favor. I will have her back, it will just take time."

"You're not being reasonable." Godric pointed out as Eric got to his feet and stood there with his arms crossed. "You are so blinded by what you want that you can't see the reality of what could happen. You're not always going to get what you want and I don't want your stubbornness to end up hurting you."

"Your seriousness is getting really old, so cut it out." Eric shrugged his shoulders, preparing to walk out of the room. "I'm going to get her back, just wait and see."

Godric watched his child turn on his heels and disappear from the room and from his sight without looking over his shoulder again. Godric shook his head and returned his focus forward to the fireplace, watching the flames dance. He was worried now more then ever because of Eric's reaction. He was sure that Eric would lash out when he told him what he thought would happen. Never once did Godric think that Eric would refuse to believe it was a possibility and that in itself presented a new set of problems. It wasn't going to allow Eric the time he needed to get himself ready for the fact that he could lose the love of his life. And if Allison did pick Damon, then Eric was going to be wounded beyond belief. And there was nothing he could do about it. Eric was his own person and Godric could only hope that he would see the light in enough time to avoid feeling any anguish.

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

"You asshole, you better be home." Damon growled as he whipped down the driveway that led to the house he lived in with his brother and paused next to Stefan's car and looked up at the darkened structure, not having been here in over a month. But he didn't have time to reminisce, he had rushed through the remaining part of his travels as soon as the sun had set on this night and he had finally reached his destination. He hadn't given his brother any clue that he was headed back to Mystic Falls when they had spoken yesterday when he had found refuge in that cemetery. And it was a spontaneous decision to not turn around and go back to Bon Temps and instead come back home and see his brother face to face. It was just something he needed to do and he headed inside the house, allowing the door to slam shut behind him as he yelled. "Stefan get your ass down here."

"Damon?" Stefan's face appeared over the railing of the second floor as he peered down to see if he had heard correctly and Damon smirked at the sight of catching his brother in an expression of pure shock. Stefan then zipped down the staircase and around the corner, coming to a skidding stop looking bewildered and disheveled. "I just talk to you yesterday. What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were going back to Bon Temps."

"I couldn't decide what to do so I came here." Damon answered back, stepping forward with his arms crossed and a determined edge in his voice as he spoke. "I need you to tell me what I'm supposed to be doing."

"I told you that you need to make that choice for yourself..." Stefan started to say but Damon interrupted him by grabbing Stefan by the shoulders and shoving him backwards into the wall in his zest to get a real answer.

"No, I need you to tell me what to do. Because I have no fucking idea how to do this on my own."


	19. Figuring it out

**Chapter 19 Figuring it out**

"So I think I am going to make choice about what to do about my little romantic situation." I told Sookie the next afternoon as she and I took another one of our walks on the hiking trail that ran through the woods by our house and I watched in amusement as she turned towards me with a curious look on her face. "I'm taking Godric's advice and I'm going to try what he suggested."

"And what was that?" Sookie questioned, tucking her hands in the pockets of her black sweatshirt as she strolled slowly by my side, crunching the leaves underneath her feet. "I don't think you ever did explain what you and him talked about."

"Well, he thinks that in order to make a decision that is right for me, I need to get my thoughts about both Eric and Damon clear and out on the table." I explained to her, wrapping my arms around my self and shrugging my hair off my shoulders. "So he said to think about them separately and write down what comes to mind when I talk about them. And I think it might help. At least if I do that, then I can separate my feelings for the two of them and see just who feels more right for me."

"That sounds reasonable and it might possibly work." Sookie nodded her head in agreement, looking almost relieved at this statement and a second later I found out why. "I'm glad you're moving towards making a decision because I have seen how much it has really been tormenting you and I don't want you to be hurting any more. And more importantly...I don't want you to be alone."

"Thanks." I smiled appreciatively at my cousin, grateful for her always worrying about my happiness instead of focusing on herself and her own life. "I don't want to be alone any more either. And I have these two very different vampires who both care about me and would make me happy if I could just pick one already. And that's why I'm taking what Godric says to heart and focusing on each of them individually."

"So who are you going to start with? Eric or Damon?" She asked with another curious expression.

"Well with Damon still not taking my calls, he is more on my mind at the moment. So I think it would make sense to try and decipher my feelings for him first." I told her, brushing my loose hair back from my face and gathered it over one shoulder and began to twist it with a smile. "And there are so many good feelings about Damon even without having to think too hard."

"I have been on Team Damon since the beginning, so you know how I feel about that choice." She pointed out teasingly, her stance on always liking Damon more then Eric has never changed. "But it's not me that has to decide on whose better for me. So my opinion doesn't really matter, it's yours that does. So start spilling."

"Well, his looks certainly don't hurt at all." I started laughing at this because I had never been the type of person to include a person's looks as an important factor. But I was only human and I couldn't deny that his looks were an added bonus. "I mean, he's incredibly hot and he was the first person I was attracted to after Eric. And you know me, I'm not one of those girls who always thinks about looks. But I have a very high appreciation of his attractiveness. And boy do I love his ass."

"I'm not going to disagree with you on that one. Just don't tell Bill I said that." She retorted with a devilish grin spreading across her lips. "What else about Damon attracts you? Besides him and his hot ass.."

"I love that he put in so much effort when he decided to come here. I mean, when I left, he was so different and so unwilling to even talk about how he felt. And then he comes here and not only does he admit that he is in love with me, but he actually backs it up by showing it. And everything he has done has totally melted my heart." I could not stop the goofy grin that took over my entire face as I thought back to everything he had done over the past few weeks to prove himself to me. I never thought I would see him try that hard but he definitely went above and beyond. "I wasn't expecting a vampire to ever act like he does, but he surprises me all the time and I love that. It's so refreshing because I did the whole thing where Eric rarely liked to open up to me. But Damon seems to have no problem with it now. He said he would try and he has. And that means something to me."

"I remember all those romantic gestures. I was definitely jealous that Bill never got that creative." Sookie said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her fingers. "So he can become a better person then he is. And that is a definite plus."

"The fact that he was willing to fight for me since the moment he got here touches something deep inside of me. It makes me understand that if I were to chose him, he would do everything in his power to make me happy." I shrugged, feeling my eyes start to sting with tears. " And he has always been here when he said he would be, with the exception of the other night. And that means a lot. Especially with how many people have left our lives. And I don't think he would be one of them."

"You sound like your feelings for Damon are becoming more clear the more you talk about him." Sookie pointed out to me with a grin. "Is it helping you at all?"

"You know what? It actually is."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Mystic Falls<span>_

"Are you going to talk to me at all tonight?" Stefan asked him for what seemed like the thirtieth time in the span of an hour as the two of them sat at opposite ends of the couch in front of the fire while Damon pretty much ignored him as he tapped the buttons on his cell phone that he had been fiddling with for almost 20 minutes while his brother annoyed him incessantly. "Damon, will you at least acknowledge me?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to decide what to write in this text message I'm sending to Allie and I can't do that if you are constantly yammering in my ear." Damon shot at his younger brother with a glare before turning back to his phone and trying to come up with the right way to say why he had left Bon Temps without any warning. He had been battling whether or not to even contact her at all but when Stefan kept on pushing at him to do it, he had finally relented and decided to send her a message to let her know he was alright since she was most likely really worried. He wanted to explain why he had just taken off but he couldn't find the words that would describe his reasoning, so he just decided to go with something simple so she at least knew he was alive and ok.

_Allison,_

_I didn't mean to worry you, but I left town for a while to clear my head. I'm ok and I will be back tomorrow night and I will come see you. Sorry for the worry. ~Damon_

"Ok, that's done and out of the way." Damon tossed the phone on a nearby table and turned to look at his brother with a raised eyebrow. "So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"The same thing I have been trying to talk to you about since you got here, but you don't seem to want to hear it." Stefan rolled his eyes, not even attempting to hide his frustrations when he spoke. "I mean come on. I say one thing you don't want to hear and you shut down the conversation for the rest of the night."

"That's because you're so damn negative." Damon protested, crossing his arms tightly. "I don't need you to be negative. That's my job."

"I'm not being negative." Stefan muttered with narrow eyes. "I'm just trying to be honest and you can't take it."

"I can take it, I just don't want to." Damon stated with a smirk, watching as his brother once again rolled his eyes and he began to laugh. "Oh come on, stop being so serious."

"Well then maybe you should start." Stefan snapped, sitting up and setting his feet on the carpet. "I mean, you come here asking me to point you in the right direction and then when I try and do that, you turn everything around and make jokes left and right."

"So do you want me to help you or should I just walk away right now?" Stefan asked, sending him a look that clearly said to answer now or he was out of there. "Because it's just a waste of my time if you're going to refuse to talk about the situation when you're the one that came here for answers in the first place."

"Alright alright, calm the fuck down." Damon told his brother, waving his hand in the air to signify the other vampire to remain seated as he did have every intention of restarting the conversation. "I do want your help. So tell me what else I am suppose to do to win over Allison and kick this asshole Eric to the curb once and for all."

"Your ability to keep your real opinions to yourself is really something." Stefan replied sarcastically, running his hands through his hair before becoming serious again and saying something that stumped Damon. "Maybe you shouldn't try any harder then you already have. Maybe you should just stop. And more importantly, maybe you just need to accept the inevitable."

"Yea ok." This time it was Damon who rolled his eyes as he watched his brother observe him with a strange knowing expression. "What the hell was that suppose to mean?"

"Damon ..." Stefan began to say, looking at him as if trying to express what he was trying to say through his eyes.

"Stefan." Damon shot back, shaking his head quickly so his brother became a blur. "Spit it out, because subtlety is not really your strong suit."

"Don't start that thing you do when you are trying to keep something from being said out loud." Stefan snapped, his annoyance lashing out for a moment as his voice turned dark, but as usual it did not last for long and he was back to that same old look of concern. "You know what I meant and you know what I was referring to. You know what I'm going to say, it's what I have been trying to tell you since you got here. And I know that you have already thought it because I can see it in your eyes. You just don't want to face it."

"Face what?" Damon wasn't trying to push his brother's buttons this time, this time he was being genuine and Stefan must have seen that because he shrugged and then gave voice to the very thing that Damon had been trying to run from.

"Damon, she's in love with Eric. You and I both know that. Just like we both know that she is going to end up picking him in the end. Face it, no matter what you did or what you tried, she was never yours to begin with and therefore she was never going to end up picking you. She may care about you or even love you, but her heart really lies with Eric and it was only a matter of time before she was able to see it. And you know that. Because if you really thought that there was still a chance for the two of you, then you never would have left Bon Temps. So by you leaving, it was just proof that deep down, you know that you and Allison were never meant to have a forever together. It just wasn't meant to be, despite how hard you fought to forge that lasting connection. She is meant to be with Eric forever and I think...i think you knew that all along."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"So are you going to stand there and say anything at all?" Sookie asked me that night as the two of us gathered on the front porch clutching our cups of coffee while she tried yet again to force a start to the conversation that had been my idea in the first place. "I mean, you say you want to talk about Eric but then you don't say anything, so I am kind of puzzled."

"I'm just trying to bring up some of Eric's finer points and I'm finding it really hard." I answered her honestly, leaning back against the unbroken part of the railing and frowned. "It was easier when I was thinking of Damon and those thoughts came very quickly. But with Eric, not so much."

"That's because there is more to go off of with Damon because he is the one who actually did something to back up his word." Sookie pointed out, tossing her hair behind her. "Eric is...well, you know what he is."

"Let's not go there right now, this is suppose to be a conversation about his good sides." I reminded her to which she automatically had to come up with a response.

"He has good sides?" She smirked evilly when I sent a look her way before shrugging and saying. "Ok, you're right. No more negative feedback from me."

"Good." I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee before contemplating what was going on inside my head. "You know what is weird? When I thought of Damon, all that came to me was all the good things he has done. But with Eric, all I can think about is all the shit he has pulled since he has been in my life."

"Maybe that's what you're suppose to be thinking when you talk about him. Maybe that's all there is to it." Sookie suggested, looking at me earnestly. "I mean, I'm on your side no matter what you decide to do. I'm just trying to let you know that when you're looking for clarity, its ok to only be able to think of the bad things he has done."

"I mean, I'm not taking away the good things he has done for me, because those things are never going to leave me because they involved saving my life." I told her, thinking back to last year and shuddered at the memory of my abduction and all the pain that had accompanied it. "I will never forget him willing to sacrifice his life to save me. I'm not going to forget how he went into that church with the rest of you guys and was ready to fight to the death. Or how he stayed by my bed side in that hotel and waited for me to wake up. No matter what else he did in the past or present, he still saved my life and I can never truly hate him."

"But..."

"Just because I can't forget his few moments of being unselfish, it doesn't mean I forget the crap he has pulled the entire time we were involved." I ran my fingers through my long ponytail as I recounted it all. "He has been rude and mean and violent. He never really thought of anyone but himself in the beginning of our relationship. He was closed off and distant and only seemed to open up when I refused to take his shit anymore. He bit me when I first talked to him about his history and Godric. He nearly chocked me on the floor of the bar when I over heard those humans thoughts the night I got attacked in the parking lot. He always flies off the cuff at the slightest provocation and I never know if this time is going to be the worse of it. And that scares me. And lets not forget the little matter of him thinking he might still want you."

"Let's not even dwell on that too much, it makes me sick." Sookie made a face as she set down her coffee mug. "So your point is that his negatives out weigh his positives."

"That's exactly it. I mean, looking at it all in one big clump, it has been nothing but pain and anguish most of the time he and I have been involved." My fingers tightened around my coffee cup. "Eric is temperamental and highly irrational over most things. He speaks without thinking. Hell, he acts without thinking and that's even worse. He is arrogant, immature, selfish and just plain horrible when he doesn't get his way. I would always be on my toes around him, always trying to anticipate what he would do next. And every time I think about that and what our future would...oh my god."

I felt everything go silent around me until it was so quiet that I was certain I had gone deaf. I felt the cup slip out of my fingers and smash into shards at my feet, splattering the warm coffee all over the porch but I barely noticed it as my ears started filling with the sound of rushing blood and my heart pounded wildly against the inside of my chest. I was aware of Sookie jumping in surprise when I dropped my cup and I could feel her hands on my arm, trying to get my attention but I could barely do anything more then just nod to let her know I was ok. Actually I was more then ok. I was absolutely joyful at the thoughts running through my head. It was like a light switch had gone off and the answer was right there in front of me.

"Allie, talk to me. Tell me what is going on in your head." Sookie begged me, pulling me away from the broken glass and shook me until I looked at her. "Say something. Anything."

"It's Eric." I said, a smile suddenly uncurling across my face that I didn't quite understand considering I had just been basically listing all the bad traits about him, but in another sense, it made things perfectly clear. "I know who I am suppose to be with. And it's Eric."

"Whoa! That's a quick turn around considering you were just bashing him like 2 seconds ago." Sookie commented with a frown as her hands left my arms and she scratched her head. "How did you even get to that point where he is the one?"

"When I was talking about him and how much our future would be this crazy mess, I just knew and you know how?" I turned to look at my cousin, for the first time in a long while, I felt light and airy, like every trouble that I had been carrying with me had been thrown away as if it never existed. It was amazing what making a decision could do for you. "As much as Eric and I have been through, and as badly as he hurt me before I left, I was still always able to envision a future with him. I was never sure of that with Damon. And as much as I like Damon, I never thought of the future, not once. And it's taken me this long to realize it but my future was never meant to include Damon. It's Eric and it always has been. He's the only one in the world for me and he always will be. Damon will never be able to take Eric's place in my heart no matter what he does or says. Damon will never have me because I'm already taken. And I want to be with Eric, I'm sure of it now."

"Oh man." Sookie managed to say as her eyes started filling with tears but I was relieved that they weren't sad tears. "I cannot believe you actually made a decision. I didn't think you ever would. But I'm thrilled you finally did make it."

"Me too." I grinned, moving forward to hug her and we squeezed each other tightly, making me feel more grateful for my life then I ever have been before.

"So what now?" Sookie asked when we pulled apart and leaned down to start picking up the broken pieces of the cup.

"Now...I talk to Damon when he comes back."

* * *

><p><em><span>In Mystic Falls<span>_

"You ok? You've been quiet for a few hours now." Stefan pointed pointed out to him from his side of the couch as he looked at the fireplace. "That's not like you."

"I'm just...mulling things over." Damon replied, glancing at his brother for the first time all night before turning his focus back to his feet and going silent again. He had been thinking about what his brother said about Allison and Eric and his first reaction had been to jump up and throw Stefan across the room. But then the words had taken root in his head, and had settled there all too quickly and kept him from reacting violently like he had wanted to. As much as he wanted to deny what his brother had said, Damon knew deep down that Stefan was right and had been right all this time, even if he had only said it out loud for the first time tonight. And if the truth wasn't so obvious, then Damon would brush it aside, but he couldn't. It was too big and glaring to ignore anymore. He looked at Stefan and shrugged. "I think...i think maybe you were right. In fact, I think you were right all along."

"I shouldn't have been so brutally honest..." Stefan began to apologize but Damon quickly waved his hand and cut him off.

"Actually it turned out to be a good thing because now I'm forced to admit to the truth." Damon confessed even though he was still fighting within himself to push back against this. "And I have been pushing it out of my head for a long time because I thought that if I didn't say it out loud, then it couldn't possibly be true. That maybe things would turn in my favor. But they can't because I'm not the one that Allison should be with."

"I'm sorry about this. I know how much you cared for her and I know how hard this is going to be for you." Stefan said without breaking their stare. "But I just thought you needed to hear it from me."

"I don't like not getting my way, but even I can admit that I was fighting a losing battle." Damon grumbled, his eyes narrowing so much that he could no longer see anything in front of him. "I mean, I was trying to edge out Eric this whole time with trying to be a better man then he was and actually I am the better man and the better vampire. Because at least I'm not a pussy like him."

"Don't ever say this to his face." Stefan replied with a roll of his eyes. "Because he would kill you."

"I'm not afraid of him." Damon said defiantly. "But I am afraid of messing up Allison's chance at happiness and that's why I am going to step aside. Because I know deep down that they are soul mates even though I think he is a major dick. But she loves him and they belong together. And it was only a matter of time before we all woke up to it."

"I wish I could change it for you so you could get what you want but I don't have that power." Stefan shrugged, looking sympathetically at him. "And if you and her were suppose to be together for the long haul, then it wouldn't have taken her this long to to decide."

"Yea, I have been thinking about that too and all the signs were there from the beginning, I just wasn't willing to let them in." Damon nodded in response to his brother. "But now that it has been said out loud, I have to acknowledge it even if I don't like it."

"So what happens now?" Stefan wondered curiously, lifting his eyes to meet Damon's and shrugged. "Where do you go from here?"

"I guess I have to go back and face the truth." Damon answered blankly, running his hands through his dark hair as he felt something disconnect inside of him that said things were coming to an end. "I did say I was going to be back by tomorrow night, so I might as well get a head start on my traveling."

"You don't wan to put it off for another night or two?" Stefan questioned curiously.

"No, it's better if I get it over and done with sooner rather then later." Damon replied, standing up and grabbing his leather jacket that he had flung over the back of the couch. "At least then I will be closer to putting this all behind me."

"I wish this had gone your way."

"Yea, so do I."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

_Allie, __I'm on my way back to Bon Temps. I should be there by 11 tonight. Just make sure that you are home so I can see you ~Damon_

"Oh boy, this is gong to be harder then I thought." I muttered to myself as I looked over the text message I had gotten from Damon that afternoon for the millionth time and shuddered at what I had to prepare myself to do.

When I had told Sookie what my choice had been, I had also decided to wait to tell Eric the news until I had spoken with Damon. It didn't feel right to celebrate my decision until I made sure that Damon understood my reasoning behind my choice. And until that happened, I was putting off seeing or talking to Eric until I had this out of the way. It was the right thing to do. I was going to have to break Damon's heart and I wouldn't be able to do it justice if I was in my own blissful state by seeing Eric beforehand. Because I knew once I told Eric I had picked him, then I would be caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and mostly likely wouldn't be able to wipe the grin off my face. And it just seemed cruel to be smiling when I delivered bad news to Damon. So my reunion with Eric would have to wait until after Damon came back. And that was what lead me out to the porch tonight to wait for him, knowing he would most likely find me there when he came by as he always seemed to do. Sookie was working the night shift and she was planning on staying at Bill's tonight to give me as much privacy as I wanted for what I had to do. And I appreciated that gesture when she and I talked before she left the house before dinner today. I needed her assurance that everything was going to be alright and she said it would be. She said that if I was sure that my decision was the right one for me, then everything would turn out ok in the end. And I just hoped she was right. Because there was no telling how Damon would react to this...

"Hello Allison." A deep voice came from the darkness to my right and I instantly knew who it was before I even saw him, but my head still shot to the side to peer into the dark night to catch a glimpse of the figure striding towards me.

"Damon Salvatore, where the hell have you been?" I turned my body completely as he stepped onto the porch and into the glare of the light coming from beside the door until I could see his face clearly. "I was so worried about you. I didn't know what happened to you because you weren't answering any of my calls and you disappear without any warning."

"Sorry about that. I just needed to clear my head and get things in order before I saw you again." He said, crossing his arms as he moved in front of me, looking down at his feet. "I went home to see Stefan. I wanted to talk to him."

"And you couldn't have told me that?" I snapped, wishing I could just jump up and slap him for making me worry but there was something in his face that made me stay where I was seated and frowned. "Damon, why did you need to go home? What's going on?"

"I saw you with Eric the night I left and it put everything in perspective for me." He said, pacing back and forth across the porch, his steps so light that he barely even made a noise as I contemplated what he was saying. He had seen me with Eric that night? Was that the reason he had left? Because he knew the same thing that I had realized just yesterday. I watched Damon as he stopped pacing and came over to the bench I was sitting on and sat down next to me with his hands tucked under his arms and his head leaning back against the side of the house. I heard him sigh before his opened his mouth and said. "I think we need to talk."

"Yea.." I nodded, turning my head to look at him with a sad smile. "I think so too."

**a/N: So there you have it...allie finally made a choice and surprise surprise it is eric...now i know a lot of you are gonna be pissed about this choice, but i had this outcome decided from the beginning when i started this fic, so please don't hate me too much. But i promise that this will not be the last you see of damon in this series...and now that she had decided, the real drama begins...**


	20. You and me

**Chapter 20 You and me**

"How did you know?" I asked the vampire sitting next to me, keeping my eyes focused on the dark yard as I had been doing since he had arrived and reached up to twirl my hair around my fingers. "How did you know Damon?"

"Know what?" He questioned, setting his hands on his knees and stretched his legs out in front of him so they entered my line of vision.

"Come on, you know what." I turned my face to look at him around the same moment that he titled his head to look at me. And when our eyes met, he was wearing that usual blank expression that said he was trying to avoiding showing how he felt. "How did you know that I picked Eric?"

"What makes you think I know that?" Damon shrugged, obviously trying to play a game here and his lips started to tug up into a smirk. "Maybe you are still considering me."

"Don't try and pretend you don't know because I know that you do." I sighed, silently begging him through my eyes to drop this charade and be serious for a few minutes. This was hard enough as it is and him trying to run circles in this conversation was not helping matters. "You take off with out any warning just because you see Eric and I together. You don't pick up your phone or return calls. And when you finally do make contact, its in a two sentence text that doesn't explain anything except that you're alive and you went home. And then you show up at my house and say we need to talk. If that doesn't signify that you know what I decided then I don't know what else does. So please just don't make this more difficult then it is."

"Fine. You were right. I knew that you weren't going to chose me and I realized this when I was back in Mystic Falls. And yea, that's exactly why I said we needed to talk. We need to cut the cord and end this because it's not right, not anymore." He answered back, his smirk dropping and his face being taken over by a more serious expression that would have been more appropriate on another vampire's face except for his. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "So you're choosing Eric huh?"

"Yea...I am." I didn't see any point in trying to make it sound any better so I just agreed and let it hang there for a while. "I just realized it the other day when I was talking to Sookie. And I have been waiting for you to come back so I could talk to you about it. Are you mad?"

"No. I just don't understand why you would pick an asshole like him." Damon replied harshly, his voice coming out in more of a growl then a normal tone. "I mean, ever since I got here, I have been working my ass off to prove to you that I was the better vampire you should be with. I do everything right and humiliate myself in the process by doing shit I would never do and he does nothing and he winds up getting you back. How is that fair?"

"It's not fair and you're right. You have put in the effort and you have nothing to show for it. I won't disagree with you on that." I shook my head, keeping my eyes on him as he got to his feet and strolled over to the railing to lean against it. "But this is not about what is fair, it's about who is right for me in the end. And I know it's just not you."

"And why is it Eric? Why does he get to not do anything all this time and still end up getting the girl? Explain that one to me because I would love to try and understand this." Damon whipped around as he said this and I could see that in his anger, his fangs had protruded slightly. "Why does he get to have you and I don't?"

"Because he's the one I am suppose to be with, not you." I whispered, knowing he could hear me so I didn't bother raising my voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you by being this honest, but it would hurt worse if I tried to lie. I do care about you, you know that. But my choice is Eric."

"Why?"

"Because even though he has done wrong in the past, I still always had this ability to look passed it and see what a future with him could be like." I explained, twisting my hands around each other and kept my eyes down. "And I was never able to do that with you. I wanted to because I do have feelings for you, but I can't help but know that no matter how much I want I to happen, you and I do not have a future together. At least not romantically and I know that's where you were hoping it would go."

"I don't get why you can't give it more time." Damon's voice came at me like bullets. "Why can't you think this over more?"

"Because deep down I know that no amount of time is going to change how I feel. Eric is the one for me, despite what he has done and despite how much he has hurt me. He was always meant to be in my life and I want it to be that way." I replied, my eyes still down at my feet. "I'm sorry about that but it's the truth."

"The truth sucks ass." Damon muttered, his comment causing me to laugh and that seemed to break the tight tension that had been going through me and I looked up to meet his face and he smirked. "So we really can't be together?"

"No. It's just not right. And to be honest, I also somewhat doubt your feelings." I said, watching how his eyes widened in confusion at this statement. "I mean, if you did love me, then you shouldn't have run off so quickly no matter what you thought or saw. If you really did love love me then you wouldn't have left."

"That's ridiculous." Damon exclaimed darkly, his fangs shooting back out again. "How can you doubt how much I care for you?"

"You're not listening to me." I got to my feet and stood there with my arms crossed. "I don't doubt that you care, I know you care. You wouldn't have been here fighting for me all this time if you didn't. But you leaving for a while made things clear. If you were serious about your feelings then you would have stayed and you didn't. Meaning that your feelings for me weren't strong enough to make you stick around. You do care about me and I know you always will. But you don't love me. I think you just love the idea of me."

"No, you're wrong. I do love you, you should know that." Damon countered, his blue eyes filling up with so much determination that I was convinced he was serious about what he said without him needing to say anything else about it. And that was a relief and for a moment, I almost felt ok. But then he opened his mouth again and spoke. "I know I love you and I think you love me too. But you love him more then me and I can't change that. I wish I could because we both know that he's going to hurt you again. But it doesn't matter what I say because as soon as this conversation is over, you're going to turn around and you're going to walk away from me. Aren't you?"

"I have to." I mumbled quietly, feeling my eyes cloud over in tears. "I have to see this through or else I will never know. And I can't live with that regret forever. I'm a Faerie, I have a long life ahead of me and that's too long to live with that kind of regret."

"I guess I can kind of understand that." Damon agreed, his shoulders slumped low as he began pacing. "But are you sure about this? Are you sure about him?"

"I may be naïve about a lot of things, but not about Eric. It has taken a while, but he is the one thing I am most certain about." I told him with a small smile making its way on my face despite the tears as I thought of the viking waiting for me. "I've never been more sure."

"You really love him...don't you?" Damon stopped pacing and looked at me and even with tears in my eyes, I could still make out his expression and it was an almost sad one and I had to look away while I nodded.

"Yea, I do love him." I whispered, feeling my lip shake as I talked. "He's the man that I love with all my heart and soul. I can't imagine going through the rest of my life without him by my side. It would only make me feel like I was half there. Because Eric is my other half, the better half."

"No, he's not. You are the better half. He's just lucky that you even look at him." Damon protested and I could hear and feel his footsteps stop and before I could move, he had his hands on my face and directed it up to meet his. "If you love him..then go to him and tell him exactly what you just told me."

"You're not going to fight me on this?" I felt my mouth drop slightly, his statement not reflecting what I have come to expect from a vampire like him. "You're not going to refuse to go away? You're not going to find Eric and get into another fight? You're just going to let me go and be happy?"

"I don't really have a choice. I won't lie...i would love to stand here and tell you that I won't leave and I would continue to get involved in your life. And I would love to fight that asshole one more time." He smirked down at me, looking more like himself now then he had before. "But what kind of man would I be if I did that? If I stayed and tried to take you away from Eric, then I would be destroying any chance of you being truly happy. And I love you too much to do that. Because eventually, you would resent me and then hate me. And I don't want you to hate me. So I'm stepping aside and letting you go...to Eric."

"I just don't want you to hate me either." I felt a few tears slip down my cheeks while I looked at him. "I'm afraid that by me choosing Eric, that it will mean you and I can never be friends. And I want you in my life. I don't want that to end."

"Don't worry. It won't be the end of us. We will remain friends for life even if I always wish it could be something more." Damon said, using one of his hands to wipe my face and he smirked once again. "Besides, I'm sure that in time I will love again. I mean, let's face it , not many women can resist this body."

"Yea, you definitely won't be single for long." I laughed, using the long sleeves of my shirt to wipe my eyes. "Any girl is going to be so lucky because you really are a catch in all aspects. And I do want you to be happy."

"I know that. And maybe when I go back to Mystic Falls I will find my happiness." Damon stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched me.

"Are you going to leave tonight?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady but I was already missing him. "Do we have to say goodbye now?"

"There's no use in delaying it. I'm giving you your freedom and letting go, so do the same for me." Damon stated, stepping up to me and placing his hand on my face and leaning forward to kiss my forehead, his cold lips making my skin tingle. "Goodbye Allison."

"Bye Damon." I could already feel my heart crumbling a little bit. Even if Damon and I weren't mean to have a romantic future, that didn't mean it didn't hurt me to have to say goodbye. Because anytime you lose a part of yourself, it's going to hurt and this was no exception. "We'll still see each other again at some point, right?"

"Absolutely." He said in assurance, grinning at me as he moved towards the steps and prepared to jump down to the grass. But before he left, he looked over his shoulder and said. "You may not want me anymore but if you're ever in trouble, just call me. And I will come running."

"Do you really mean that?" I asked tearfully, wanting to sob so badly now as I watched him leap into the middle of the yard and look back at me again.

"I mean that with all of my cold dead heart." He called out to me and then with nothing more then a gust of wind, he disappeared from my yard and was out of my life, leaving me standing alone on my porch with tears running silently down my face.

"Goodbye Damon."

* * *

><p><em><span>In Shreveport<span>_

"Godric? What is it?" Pam suddenly asked him, bringing a halt to the conversation they were just having about her master when he surprisingly jumped out of his seat and looked towards the door as if her were expecting something to happen. "Is it another attack?"

"No, it's Allison. She's in pain." Godric told her, feeling another jab through the blood bond he had with the young Fae and cringed. It was an intense pain, an emotional pain. She wasn't physically hurt so that was a relief. But she was still hurting over something and he couldn't stay here and not go to be with her. So he turned to look back at Pam and said. "I have to go to Bon Temps and check on her."

"What about Eric? Wouldn't he have already gotten there first? He has a bond to her too?" Pam pointed out, also getting to her and coming across the empty floor and over to the door where he stood. "Maybe you should just let Eric handle this one."

"I probably should, but if he hasn't felt her then he won't show up and I can't leave her there when she's feeling this way. She is my friend too." Godric insisted, pushing open the front door and stepping out into the nearly empty parking-lot before looking over to Pam once more. "If Eric shows up, explain where I am."

He didn't even wait for Pam to respond and just took off into the sky, flying through the dark night air towards the highway that would lead him back to Bon Temps. It wouldn't take him long to get there, being that flying saved him the hassle of meeting resistance on the ground. But even the few minutes it did take felt like a lifetime because of the flickers of pain he felt going through his body and it made him fly faster. He didn't want to leave Allison in pain any longer then absolutely necessary. So when he reached the outskirts of the small town, he put in a last burst of speed and arrived at the Stackhouse property and landed in the middle of the lawn without making as much as the tiniest little noise.

"Allison?" He called out, seeing her sitting on the old porch swing alone with her face turned downward so she hadn't seen his arrival. But the moment he broke the silence with his voice, her head shot up and filled with surprise and disbelief as he flashed forward and appeared at her side on the porch and reached out for her hand. "I felt your sadness and pain. What's going on?"

"Don't worry. I'm ok, or as ok as I can be with what just happened." She explained, wiping away a few tears that were lingering on her face and she turned to look at Godric and shrugged. "I just had a long talk with Damon and uh...I ended it."

"You ended it?" Godric repeated her words just to make sure he had heard her right but already there was a huge smile unfolding across his face and it took all he had not to jump up and start cheering. So instead he just caught her eyes and asked. "So does this mean..."

"Yea, it does." She nodded, and after a second there was a smile just as big as his appearing on her lips. "It means I pick Eric."

"I knew you would. It's about time." Godric almost scolded himself for blurting out what he had been hoping she would do this whole time and hated for how childish he sounded at her decision. But he was so beyond happy to hear that she wanted to be with Eric. He had known all this time that they were perfect for each other and he had been waiting for the both of them to finally wise up to it. And now it had happened and he was ecstatic. "This is wonderful, I'm happy for you. You deserve to have a wonderful life with someone who loves you as much as Eric does."

"I love him so much and I never doubted how I felt about him, but I needed to go through this phase to see how much I could trust a future with him. And that was the deciding factor, because I knew there was a future with him. But not with Damon." She pressed her lips together with a shrug. "I mean, I care for him and everything, but I just knew we weren't meant to be together forever. So I had to break it to him first and he surprisingly took it pretty well. And I think we will always remain friends."

"So why did I find you sitting here with tears running down your face?" He asked, looking at her in concern. "Shouldn't you be happy?"

"I am happy. Really happy." She sighed before siting back with her arms wrapped around her. "But it's sad because Damon does mean something to me. He was there when I needed him to pick me after the whole Eric fiasco so that will always mean he has a place in my heart. And I basically sent him away. And anytime you get rid of someone who means something to you, it's going to hurt for a while. But despite that, I know it will settle and things will be alright. I just need to get through this small little hurdle."

"As long as you are sure about your choice, then I am so happy for you." Godric grinned, already picturing how Eric was going to react when he heard this. "You know Eric will be thrilled over this."

"I know, I can't wait to tell him." Allison's face lit up again in a smile and for the first time in a while, Godric saw the old spark in her green eyes that made him hopeful for the long and happy life his child would have with this young girl. Allison turned to look at him and she grinned brightly. "I spent so much time trying to sort through the mess my life had become in the past year. And now I just want to start living again."

"You know what?" Godric lifted his arm and wrapped it around Allison's delicate shoulders and turned to kiss her forehead. "I think that sounds like a great idea."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at Fangtasia<span>_

"We need to talk." Pam said this to him the moment he walked through the door of his office only to find her sitting in the chair behind his desk apparently waiting for him to show up.

"Not now." He waved his hand at her to get out of his chair which she did do but his request didn't erase the expression on her face that said she wanted to say something. But he wasn't in the mood for it so he simply walked by her and took his seat, turning his focus to the stack of paperwork that had been left there in his absence and did his best not to acknowledge his progeny but she would not be ignored.

"I'm serious Eric. There is something I need to tell you." Pam insisted, leaning forward over the desk to try and capture his attention while she went on. "Godric was here earlier and he had to leave rather quickly and he told me..."

"Unless it is the matter of someone's safety then I don't really care to hear it." Eric wasn't in the right frame of mind to be saddled with whatever duty his maker had run off to do. If it didn't involve him any capacity then he didn't really want to listen to it. "Pam, you can leave..."

"It was Allison." She cut in before he could finish ordering her out and this simple statement was enough to force him to drop the file he was holding and snap his head up to meet his child's eyes. Pam for once wore an expression of complete seriousness and that was a sure sign that whatever she had come to tell him was not good. "Godric felt her pain and he went off to check on her. That's why I have been trying to talk to you. He wanted me to let you know that in case you didn't feel her yourself."

"Damn it, the one time I keep my bond closed off to her, she has to be in pain and Godric is the one swooping in to rescue her." Eric slammed his closed fists down on the desk out of frustration. It wasn't that he was jealous that his maker was the first one to show up to check on her, it was more that he was mad at himself for not keeping the bond open so he could feel her at the first sign of trouble. He wanted to kick himself and would have done it if he hadn't been so anxious to get out of this room and head to Bon Temps himself. He met Pam's eyes and said. "I have to get there."

"I figured you would say that." Pam nodded, a smirk playing across her lips as she leaned against the desk with her arms crossed. "Go and be the hero. And I will stay here and run the bar like I always do when that girl is in trouble."

"It's good to see that you were serious about trying to be friends with her. I should have known you wouldn't stray too far from your real personality." Eric rolled his eyes as he got back to his feet and turned towards the back door. "Try not to cause too much trouble while I'm gone."

"Oh I would never overstep my boundaries with you gone." Pam smiled innocently as she waved him out but he wasn't fooled. He knew she would do something he would have to yell at her about later, but his focus wasn't on his progeny's actions, it was on the woman he loved who right now was being comforted by his maker when it should have been him.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"He's coming."

"What?" I lifted my head off his shoulder where it had been for the past 20 minutes and looked at him in confusion, being as this had been the first thing that had been spoken between us since I had explained to him what had happened with Damon. I watched him stand up and move to the edge of the porch which in turn brought me to my feet and go to his side. "Godric, who is coming?"

"Eric." Godric answered back with a smile, looking down at me with twinkle in his eyes. "He'll be here soon, I can feel it. He must have been told what was going on."

"I guess he had his bond closed off to me and that's why he wasn't showing up sooner." I nodded in understanding, knowing why it was that Eric had kept our bond silent for a while now. It was different now then it had been in the past. Back then, he could barely feel anything from me. But now that I had more of his blood in my system, he was feeling all my emotions a lot stronger and he had mostly kept that bond closed because he probably didn't want to feel anything I was feeling when I spent time with Damon. And I could understand that because I wouldn't want to feel his emotions when he was with other women. "And I guess now I get to tell him the good news."

"He will be so damn thrilled." Godric replied, looking as excited as a human child would if he was being told something good. "This is the start of something great for the two of you."

"I can't wait." I said gleefully, watching as his eyes darted across the yard and I found mine doing the same and they landed on the tall figure standing in the middle of the grass in all his glory and I found my heartbeat speeding up at the sight of him.

"Calm down." Godric smirked at me as he leaned down and pressed his lips against my forehead before stepping down the porch steps to the ground. "Everything is going to go perfectly and I think you will end up having a very good night."

I watched Godric as he strolled across the grass towards Eric and pause at the side of the taller vampire to exchange words with him. I couldn't hear what they were saying as I remained on the porch, but whatever was being said was obviously perking Eric's interest as I saw his face shoot up to meet my eyes and there was a smirk on his lips that said he liked what he was hearing. Godric reached up and patted his shoulder before turning back to wave at me, and then it was only a second later before I watched him launch himself into the sky and was gone, leaving me and Eric to stare at each other. I was going to call out to him to come over but he beat me to it and flashed forward, joining me on the porch and towering over me to the point where he blocked out the glare of the outside light.

"So Godric said you had some good news for me. Some very, very good news." He smirked even harder as if he already knew what I was going to say and just wanted to prolong this for as long as he could. "So...where's your other vampire?"

"Gone. I sent him away." I crossed my arms, feeling a slight flash of sadness at that as I looked at Eric again. "That's why Godric showed up, he felt my sadness and wanted to make sure I was ok. And I am, it was just hard to let Damon go."

"So why did you?" He wanted to know, reaching out with his hand to brush a piece of hair off my shoulder and shivered at his touch.

"Because I knew it was no longer right to be with him. And that we weren't meant to have a future. Not like you and me." I caught his eyes, feeling my bad feelings slip away only to be replaced with one of excitement and hope. I knew this was the right choice for me. And I think I knew it all along but it had never been more prominent then it was now. "So prepare to pat yourself on the back because I chose you. You're the one I want to be with, not Damon. It's always been you and it always will be. So there..."

Eric made a move and it wasn't to pat himself on the back. He moved quickly, grabbing my face between his hands so he could pull me towards him and lay the most passionate kiss ever on my waiting lips. I was so not ready for this that I almost didn't react, but then my body caught up to my surprise and I grabbed his arms just as strongly as he was holding me and pressed myself against him. I could already feel how much his body wanted me and when we were against each other like that, I felt through our bond this intense mixture of lust and desire, hunger and want, amazement and love. I felt everything he was feeling and if anything could turn me on more, it was feeling the intensity of his love for me. It also helped when I felt his hands slid down from my face and up under my t shirt and the coolness of his skin on my body was enough to cause a small moan to escape from my mouth. I just wanted him to tear my clothes off and take me right there on the front porch. But he didn't and instead maneuvered us inside the house before I could even question him on it. I felt him push me against the wall in the front hall, not wasting any time in taking me up to my room where it would be more private and just began ripping at the clothes covering my body. I couldn't wait for him to ravish me and when he pulled away to start unzipping his pants, I placed my hands on his face and whispered. "I love you Eric Northman."

"I love you more my beautiful little Faerie." His lips were barely speaking those words before I felt him lift me up in his arms and slam into me, joining us as one for the first time since our new lives had begun.

**A/N: So there you have it. Eric and Allie are officially back together and Damon has left Bon Temps to find his own happiness. I was sad writtign that goodbye scene, but i will tell you this, it will not be the last time we see Damon in this series. So dont be too sad. And now rejoice that our favorite couple is now back together. And now it is on to more important thing, Sookie and Bill's wedding mostly. But then comes that oh so little problem of why there was an attempted attack on Pam and why Allie heard those thoughts about her. Dont think i forgot about that. There is a reason behind that and it gets insane!**


	21. It all begins again

**Chapter 21 It all begins again**

"I am officially worn out. I don't think I could move even if I wanted to." I turned my head from the spot it had been lying on, on my living room floor and looked at the pale face that was next to me and grinned. "I think I will just lay here for a thousand years until I get my energy back."

"If you did that then we could never go back to more amusing activities." Eric smirked, using his long arms to prop himself up on his elbows so he could look down at me. "For someone who claims to be as exhausted as you, you look remarkably exhilarated."

"Sex with you can do that to a girl." I laughed, sitting up and tucking the blanket we had pulled down from the couch around me and looked at the long naked vampire lying on the floor at my feet and I grinned once more. "You look so hot right now. If it wasn't illegal to walk around with no clothes on then I would totally make you stay like this every night."

"And that would be one order I would follow with out resistance." Eric ran his hand up one of my bare legs that was peeking out from under the blanket, causing me to shiver out of pleasure. Eric obviously saw and felt my reaction because he looked up and met my eyes. "Am I turning you on again?"

"Maybe you are." I answered honestly, not even trying to play coy when I was around him. There was no point, when we had so much history between us for him to know how I was feeling even without the blood bond. I felt his hand stop on my upper thigh and I sat back against the couch with a happy sigh escaping my lips. "Oh man, if I could just have sex with you every single night and not do anything else then I would consider that a great life."

"I think we can arrange that." He raised his eyebrows suggestively at me as he too sat up and faced me in such a position that I could see everything his body had to offer, and boy was it a lot. And knowing that he was all mine made a wide grin suddenly come over my face that Eric just had to comment on. "Someone looks extremely satisfied."

"Yes and also very happy." I said, unable to stop how big my smile was getting. "You have no idea what it took for me to get to this point where I could let you back into my life like I did before. And now that I have, I feel like it is a new beginning..."

"It is a new beginning." He nodded, his large hands coming through the blanket to cover mine. "I won't fuck it up this time."

"I hope not." I replied quietly, looking down briefly as I spoke. "Because I don't think my heart can withstand any more emotional turmoil. It's barely healed from the last time and I just don't think I have it in me to survive another blow like that..."

"You won't have to. I promise you." Eric said this as sincerely as he could, looking more serious then he ever had before. His fingers curled over mine soothingly before he said. "I can't promise I will be perfect all the time because we both know I won't ever be like that. But I will do my best not to be the one the brings pain back to your life."

"That sounds good enough for me." I grinned, leaning forward to press my lips against his, feeling his smile get bigger as I was the one to initiate the kiss. He of course had to take back control and moved me so I was lying on my back and he was on top of me, furiously kissing my mouth and causing a fire to erupt inside of my stomach from the friction between us. I could feel my own body's response starting to take hold when his fingers began to make their way down my body and I was just starting to arch into him when...

"Oh my god! What are you guys doing?" Sookie's voice screeched through the silence of the house, causing both Eric and I to jump at the sudden noise but he didn't move off me even after hearing my cousin's voice and with him being on top of me, he was giving her a great view of his back side. I couldn't physically push Eric off me so I had to settle for peeking over his should and to my horror find not only Sookie standing in the doorway to the living room, but also Bill who was looking down at the floor in disgust while Sookie continued to stare. "You guys are having sex in the living room? Are you crazy? I just vacuumed the floor!"

"And we appreciate that." Eric replied smartly, turning his head to look at Sookie with what I knew was a smart ass kind of smirk. "Now could you leave so we can finish what we started?"

"Eric, shut up." I groaned, covering my eyes with my hands and feeling the urge to curl up and die over having my cousin and Bill walk in and seeing a naked Eric on top of a naked me. This was exactly why I should have insisted we move this party to my bedroom where there was more privacy. I opened my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows and looked over Eric's shoulder again. "Um, we're just uh...going to get dressed right now."

"Probably a good idea." Sookie nodded and quickly turned to Bill who had not said anything or even looked up and immediately began shuffling him towards the front door. "We're just going to wait outside."

"Enjoy the parting view." Eric called out, deliberately getting up so his bare ass was shown to its best degree as Sookie and Bill practically ran out the door and left Eric and I alone with him standing naked above me with his hands on his hips and a smirk on his lips. He looked down at me and held out his hand. "I guess the party is over."

"That was so embarrassing." I groaned, grabbing his hand and jumping to my feet while looking around the floor for my clothes. "I cannot believe they walked in on us. I could just die."

"Oh it wasn't that bad." Eric shrugged, not at all embarrassed about finding himself in a situation like this, but then again he was a thousand years old. There couldn't be all that much that he was embarrassed about. He reached down to the floor and picked up the blanket and wrapped it around me with a sheepish grin. " I think I tore your clothes to shreds. You might want to go upstairs and find something else to wear."

"Thanks for that." I laughed, seeing that my clothes were indeed destroyed beyond use, so they would need to go straight into the garbage. I shook my head and looked at Eric, laughing as he stood there in all his glory and just shrugged. As embarrassing as that moment just was, I couldn't stop myself from saying what I said next. "You are the craziest and weirdest creature I have ever met, but I think it just makes me love you that much more."

"Thanks...I think." Eric smirked, grabbing my face for one more kiss before he turned my towards the staircase and pushed me away, patting my ass as I walked by. "Now go get dressed, we have places to be."

"Oh I can only imagine what you mean by that."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Ok, you guys can uncover your eyes now. We're fully dressed." Allison's voice called out from across the porch where she and Eric had emerged from the front door 15 minutes after she and Bill had walked in on them in the living room. Sookie opened her eyes, seeing Allison standing by Eric side dressed in black jeans and a blue camisole with a black sweater thrown over it, looking the picture of innocence as if nothing at all had happened. "So...i guess we should probably have a talk."

"That might be a good idea." Sookie nodded in agreement, turning towards Bill who still had his hands over his eyes and she tugged his arms down. "Seriously Bill, its all ok now. They are both dressed."

"Don't lie to me. I saw enough of Eric's backside and I don't care to see what he's packing in the front." Bill grumbled, dropping his hands and opening his eyes cautiously before catching sight of Eric and Allie standing near the front door. "Oh thank god. The last thing I needed was to see my sheriff's naked body standing in front of me so close to one of my future family members."

"Don't be such a prude William." Eric retorted, sticking his hands in his pockets and grinned at the girl next to him. "We're all grown ups. We can all deal with adult matters like this."

"This is not about being prudish, this is about having no desire to see Allison in a compromising position with a vampire like you. It's gross." Bill's face twisted into a frown of disgust as he and Eric looked at each other. "We should not have been subjected to this. It will be burned into my memory forever now."

"Then it's a good thing he has a great ass." Allison spoke up, surprising everyone with her comment except for Eric who looked down at her with a smirk. She didn't seem at all embarrassed and just shrugged. "What? You do have a great ass."

"OK, enough of this conversation." Sookie cut in, waving her hands to grab the focus of the group back to her so she could make her point. "We said we were going to have a serious talk and so that's what we're going to do."

"She's right, we were going to do that and I suppose I should be the one to officially say it." Allison spoke up, her face more serious this time as she reached for Eric's hand and announced. "Eric and I are back together. We're going to give this relationship another shot."

"You sure you want to do that?" Bill asked, narrowing his eyes as he became the first one to retort to this statement. "I mean, he screwed it up once before. Who's to say he won't do it again just as badly? Or even worse?"

"You are so negative Bill, its a wonder how you managed to keep Sookie for this long." Eric shot back, obviously ready to play whatever game Bill was spitting out.

"At least I kept her, can't say the same for you and your relationship." Bill snapped, his fangs shooting out in his anger and if hadn't been for Sookie stepping in front of him, then he would have flown across the porch and attacked the viking. "How long will it be this time before you fuck it up in some other spectacular way?"

"Alright, alright, don't start this shit. I don't have the energy to deal with either you trying to be the alpha male." Sookie shouted, her voice rising above the both of them. "We all know how everyone feels about Allie and Eric getting back together, so let's try not to turn it into a fight and just accept it."

"I'm just saying that he better behave himself this time and not hurt her." Bill shot another glare at the older vampire who was also looking like he wanted to fight but was being held back by Allison. "She's been through enough and if she's willing to give him another chance, then he better not screw it up."

"He actually has point." Sookie turned away from her future husband and looked at the other other couple. "It took Allie a long time to get passed what you did and the fact that she is even willing to look at you means a lot. So seriously, do not mess up this second chance. Or you will regret it."

"He is not going to mess up anything." Allie answered for Eric, pressing her lips together. "And if I can have trust in that, then so should you guys. And if you can't, then at least trust that I know what I'm doing."

"We trust you, not him." Bill growled but he eased up his stance and stood back from Sookie with his arms at his side. "But fine. I will accept this new...relationship or whatever it is. At least until I have a reason not to."

"It's nice to know we have your blessing William. That means so much." Eric rolled his eyes so fast that they were no long visible before he turned to look at Allison and said. "And now that this is over, we have places to be."

"Excuse me?" Sookie frowned, eying the two of them suspiciously before asking. "And where exactly are you going?"

"Fangtasia, you know, my business that I need to run and attend to." Eric replied sarcastically as he pulled Allie down the steps to the grass and waved over his shoulder. "Don't wait up."

"That guy is incredibly annoying." Bill pointed out after Allie and Eric had gotten into her car and drove off. He turned towards her with his arms crossed and a grumpy look on his face. "I don't trust him. He's going to mess this up again, I just know it."

"He may and he may not. I would rather not take that chance but it's not up to us. It's Allie's choice." Sookie reminded him, touching his arms with her hands so he would stop looking so pissed off. "She knows what he is like and she knew the risks of what came with it if she want were to get back with him. But she did and now we just have to support her, even if we hate him."

"Do we have to? Can't we just keep on expressing our disgust over his continued presence in our lives?" Bill asked, looking hopeful. "Because once you and I get married, Allison is going to be my family too and with her being with Eric now, it means that he will be in my life even more. And I don't like that at all."

"I don't either, but if she is happy with him, then that's what matters." Sookie shrugged, understanding where Bill was coming from because she also held the same fears. She didn't want to see Allison come away from this with a broken heart like she had the last time and if Sookie had the power, then she would keep her cousin from ever coming near Eric every again. But Allie was a grown woman and was in charge of her own life. So Sookie could only sit back and hope for the best. "Some things can change but someone has to give the future a chance. And I think that's what we have to do with Allie and Eric."

"I'm still keeping my eyes on him...He is not going to hurt her..not again."

* * *

><p><em><span>In the car<span>_

"Oh my god, can you believe their faces when they walked in on us?" Allison asked him from behind the wheel as she drove down the highway towards Shreveport and glanced over at him with a grin. "I mean it was mortifying, but still amusing. I don't think I have ever seen Bill look so sickened in the entire time I have known him."

"Yes he was in rare form tonight and I was greatly entertained by his reaction." Eric smirked as he saw Bill's face flash inside of his head and he wished he could go back and push more of the younger vampire's buttons just to get a rise out of him. "He really seemed serious about me messing it up this time."

"I don't think you will." She replied, turning her eyes from the road to look at him for a second. "If I thought there was going to be a repeat of last time then I never would have chosen you. But I did, so that has to count for something."

"I think it does." He grinned through the darkness at her even though she couldn't see it, but he did see the smile on her lips right before she turned her attention back to the road. "I have a good feeling about us this time. I think things will be ok."

"I agree, it's different this time. And we are different this time." She agreed, lifting her hand to run it through her hair. "We were separated for a while and we are just not the same people. So us being together again is a fresh new beginning. And Sookie and Bill are just going to have to accept it. I don't care if they like it, but they do need to trust me. And I know what I am doing."

"Yea, you are doing me." Eric couldn't help but let that one slip out and the moment he said, he could feel through the bond he had with her, that she was slightly mortified, but also aroused by his words, which pleased him.

"You are so bad sometimes." She tried to keep her voice stern and serious but she barely got those words out before she dissolved into a fit of laughter and nearly would have driven off the road if he hadn't grabbed the wheel.

"And this is exactly why I always insist that I drive." He said when she had regained control of the car. "You shouldn't be behind the wheel when you are not stable."

"I'm perfectly stable, thank you very much." She pouted, gripping the wheel with both hands tightly, her body tense with concentration. "Besides, you shouldn't have all the power in this relationship. If I want to do something, then I will do it and you can't stop me."

"I love it when you get bossy. It's super hot." He pointed out, liking that she would occasionally stand up to him and demand to do little things like be the one who drove them places. Even though he was always able to physically over power her, it was her mental strength that was a source of attraction to him and he almost never tried to counter her when she got like this. "You should definitely be more assertive."

"I will keep that in mind for the future." She nodded, keeping her face forward but he could feel her reach across the seat for his hand and when her fingers closed over his fist, she pulled it close to her chest and held there before she spoke again. "And by the way, it makes me happy to know that we have a future together."

"Me too." He grinned as she tightened her grip on his hand and he could feel her heart pounding beneath his hand, a slow and strong beat full of life and happiness. And he turned his head to look at her as silence fell between them for a while and just studied her. Her long hair blowing in the wind from the open window, her small body relaxed back in the seat as she drove, the way she kept his hand against her and the easy way she was around him. He could see the love she felt for him without even opening their bond and he knew that he was lucky that she was giving him this second chance and he had no intention of doing anything to mess it up. She loved him and would do anything for him and he was just as willing to do the same for her. He was not going to screw this up, not this time. He curled his fingers over hers, causing her to look at him through the dark interior of the car and he said "I love you."

"I love you too." She said softly back, bringing her lips down to his hand and kissed it. " And I always will."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Why does it seem like everyone in here knows that we had sex only 40 minutes ago?" I asked Eric as we walked into the now busy bar area of Fangtasia and took in the almost immediate stares that came our way as we stood side by side. I looked around the room and even though the music was still blaring over the speakers in the corner, it still felt like there was a silent hush that came over the crowd. Both vampires and humans were staring at us, like they knew exactly what we had been up. At first I though it was just because Eric was the owner and he had just walked in, but then the attention was put on me and I stepped closer to him nervously. "I think they know what we did."

"The vampires do because we can all smell your arousal." Eric pointed out, his statement making me turn beet red and I immediately cowered my face behind his arm and groaned which he found amusing. "Relax, its not that big a deal."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the human that has the focus of every vampire in the room because they can tell I'm horny." I muttered, peeking back around at the crowd and seeing a number of vampires eying me up with interest. "Oh dear god I knew this was a bad idea. They all know I am ready to have sex again. I will not be left alone all night now. I should have stayed at the house."

"You'll be fine. After all, they all know you are mine so not one of them will even come and bother you. And also, Godric is sitting at the bar, he will look after you when I can't." Eric turned me around and pointed out his maker who was sitting at the counter towards the middle and waving at us with a grin on his face. Eric nodded to him before turning his eyes down to me and saying. "I have some work I have to do, so I'm going to leave you with Godric. But I will be back as soon as I can."

"You better be." I said, grinning up at him and blocking out everyone else in the room as I pressed my hand flat against his chest and smirked. "Or else you will not be getting lucky again for a while."

"Then I better be getting to my work then." He grinned, swooping down to plant a brief kiss on my lips before shooting off in a flash towards the back room, leaving me alone to make my way over to the bar where Godric was waiting for me. I ignored the looks the other vampires were giving me and just hopped up on to a stool next to the oldest thing in that bar and watched as he looked at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Well...don't you look...happy." He chuckled slightly as I hid my face behind one of my hands, knowing what he really wanted to say. "I guess your reunion with Eric went well?"

"You could say that." I dropped my hands back to my lap and fought to keep the childish smile off my face but I was finding it very hard to do when all I could think about was tonight. "It was...alright."

"Somehow I think it was more then just alright." He countered, watching me with this twinkle in his eyes before he said. "I can feel your emotions remember?"

"Oh my god, I completely forgot." I felt all the color leave my face and I wanted to fall to the floor and die from humiliation. I never once thought of the fact while Eric and I were having sex, that Godric was most likely feeling everything that I was feeling that whole time and the thought of him knowing how satisfied I was, was just so embarrassing. I covered my face with both my hands this time and groaned. "Damn that bond, it's like so damn mortifying that you can feel everything. I could seriously die right now, I'm so embarrassed."

"It's not that bad. Although it did make me uncomfortable to feel those kind of emotions coming from you." Godric pointed out, sound like he was uneasy about talking to me about sex like he was my father or something. But then his voice relaxed and he said. "But it was nice to know that you were enjoying yourself and you were happy. That's the most important thing."

"I was happy. And I think I will be for the rest of my life, as long as Eric is by my side." I told him, looking at the door that Eric had disappeared behind and sighed longingly. I already missed him even though he wasn't far away at all. "This was the right decision for me and I have never been more certain or happy about a choice then I am about this one."

"Well good for you. You deserve to have a beautiful and happy life with the man you love." Godric smiled at me in a protective kind of way that said more then his words could and I knew I had at least one supporter of my relationship with Eric. "I have a great feeling about you and Eric and I think it will all turn out ok."

"The future is bright for us and I have no doubt that this time I can make it work with him." I said confidently, knowing deep down that I couldn't be more sure then I was now and that was a good thing. "Nothing is going to go wrong again. Life will be good from now on."

* * *

><p><em><span>In Eric's office<span>_

"So...Eric. Care to share why you have that ridiculous grin on your face?" Godric asked his progeny when he walked into the office without knocking and found Eric sitting at the desk almost staring into space like he was distracted. It was only when Godric spoke up that Eric seemed to acknowledge his presence and it didn't take a genius to figure out where his mind had been at.

"I think you know why, so don't bother pretending like you don't know." Eric smartly retorted, looking up from the paperwork he had been doing and sat back in the chair with his hands clasped in front of him. "I see Allison is not with you. You didn't leave her alone did you?"

"Of course not. She is perfectly safe." Godric assured his child, seeing the protectiveness flash through his eyes and Godric was pleased that Eric was showing a different side of himself this time around with Allison. "She's with Pam."

"Well that's just as bad as if you had left her alone." Eric pointed out but there was a glimmer of amusement in his features as he spoke. "You've seen how Pam acts when they are around each other."

"Yes, I have noticed that your child seems to be taken with that young Faerie but I also know that ever since Allison saved her life that night a few weeks ago, that Pam feels indebted to her and would protect Allison with her life just as quickly as you or I would. So you don't need to worry about her being around Pam. No harm will come to her." Godric said, taking a seat on the other side of the desk from his progeny and settled down with his arms on his knees and his eyes on Eric's face. "But I did not come here to talk about Pam. I came here to talk about you."

"And let me guess, you want to make sure that I am serious this time around and I won't screw it up, right?" Eric questioned, sounding almost defensive as their eyes met. "Bill Compton insinuated that was exactly how this was going to go. That Allison and I would be together again only for me to royally screw things up in a very short period of time."

"And since when do you care about what Bill Compton thinks?" Godric pointed out with a frown, seeing the doubt in Eric's eyes and for the first time in over a hundred years he could see that his progeny was experiencing a shake up in his confidence. "Bill is a generally good person, but he is stubborn to the point where he doesn't think people can change and I believe they can. You are proof of that."

"I'm not going to screw this up." Eric said, sending him a look full of seriousness. "I screwed up once but I won't do it again. It took me this long to get her back and I'm not going to ruin it."

"I know you won't, so you don't have to convince me." Godric had all the confidence in the world in Eric's abilities to make the relationship work this time. Not to say that it would be easy because knowing Eric the way he did, it would most certainly be hard work, and would require a great deal of patience and love on Allison's part. But he saw the way they were around each other and whoever said love wasn't enough was a moron. Because for Eric and Allie, it was ore then enough. "Don't worry so much. Just be honest and open with her and you will be fine."

"I hope so." Eric scratched his head, looking thoughtful again. "I mean, I don't know if you have noticed, but I can be an asshole at times."

"Eric, everyone knows that. Including Allison." Godric laughed, feeling the tension in the air break and things relax between them. "If she didn't think you were worth it then she would be with Damon right now and she's not. She's here with you and that says she is going to take whatever you throw at her and she will still be there."

"You know, it's funny." Eric stated, grinding his teeth slightly. "I never really thought of the future much before until Allison came along. And now I find myself thinking about what I could do to bring her happiness and joy and how I want to make plans with her down the line. More permanent plans..."

"Like marriage?" Godric raised his eyebrow, smirking when he saw Eric shift uncomfortably in his chair. "Do you think you will ask her any time soon?"

"Oh no, it is way too soon for that." Eric shook his head quickly as if try to toss that notion out of his head. "She and I just got back together and I don't want to shake things up again by asking her to marry me. Not appropriate right now."

"But you do plan to ask her?"

"Oh yea, I definitely plan to propose at some point."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

_"It's been a good night hasn't it?"_

_"You've got that right Mr. Northman, it has been the best night I have had in a very long time and it is all thanks to you."_

_"So is it time that we get out of here? This place is boring me."_

_"As long as I can drive..."_

"So there she is." A man dressed in black said quietly as he stood in the distance and watched as the young brunette walked around the side of Fangtasia with the tall blonde vampire towards the parking lot. "She was the one they were talking about a few weeks ago when that assassination attempt went wrong. Still can't believe she took a stake for that female bloodsucker. But at least she survived. That means we still have a shot at completing this mission."

"But how are we suppose to do that?" His friend asked from beside him as he too watched the scene in front of them. "Somehow that Godric vampire is still alive even though he was rumored to have met the sun last year. I don't know how it is possible but he's around and with her under the protection of two very old and powerful vampires, there is no way we can get to her. And that means we can't get what we want."

"You're right, it will be harder to snatch her up, those vamps will have the sharpest senses and will alert every one in the area if we try to take her by force. We do not need a repeat of what happened 6 months ago. He will not be pleased." The man grumbled, thinking of his boss who had sent them on this mission to scope out the girl's activities. "There is no way we can kidnap when she is under such protection. We have to go back and tell him about this. We need another way."

"And what course of action are we suppose to try next?" His friend asked, both watching as the girl got into the car with the vampire and sped off towards the highway. "What are we suppose to do now?"

"We bring in the witches." The man in black replied with a nod, observing the trail of dust the car left in its wake before looking to the side. "They will be able to get what they want and we will get what we want. Or more accurately he will get what he wants."

"The witches huh?" His friend began to smirk, immediately perking up at this new plan. "Yea, that sounds good... Newlin will like that."

**A/N: Dun dun dun...this is not good is it? just when you thought i would let things be all happy and calm t i have to throw in the oh so little fact that newlin seems to be behind a plot of some sorts..and he's teaming up with witches? Why is that? What do they want with Allison? Things are picking up so stay with this and find out. It gets crazier from here on out.**


	22. Keep on twisting

**Chapter 22 Keep on twisting**

_The next morning_

"Oh man, I've never been this sore before in my life But in a weird way I really like it." I groaned out loud when I opened my eyes the next morning and caught sight of my surroundings and the memories of the night before came flooding back and I couldn't help the ridiculous smile that shot across my face.

After Eric and I had left the bar when it was still in full swing, we had headed back to his house almost immediately. I knew exactly what was going to occur the moment we stepped foot through the doors, so I prepared myself for it on the ride there and the second I had parked the car and gotten out, I was swept up into Eric's arms and we were inside the house within seconds. Eric barely took a second to lock the doors before he was pulling my clothes off and pushing me against the wall in the front hallway. I may have prepared myself, but it was still unexpected and exciting and when we finally slid down to the floor so I could catch my breath, we stayed there for a while and leaned against each other in contentment. I don't think I had ever felt more at peace or more happy then I did when I was sitting on the floor of his house with him. And the more we sat there, the more significant our moment had just become because it dawned on me that this was the first time I had been in Eric's house since everything had happened with us when we broke up and if we just walked down the hall and around the corner, then we would be on the stairs that led to the room where it happened. That wasn't lost on him and I could tell because when he pulled me to my feet for another round, he didn't bring me down to his safe room and just walked me upstairs to one of the bedrooms which touched me because I was not ready to go back to that room where my heart had been broken. Maybe one day I would be but not now. Right now I was just happy to be with him in this room while he laid me on the bed and made love to me in a more gentle, loving way then he had when we first got here. And when we were finally done, I collapsed on the bed next to him, fully worn out and ready to close my eyes and sleep until I could sleep no more. But before I did, Eric leaned over and kissed me, whispering in my ear until I could no longer stay awake and finally succumbed to my exhaustion.

Now, it was morning and I only knew that because of the clock on the table next to the bed. The windows were obviously blacked out and sealed up with wood and plaster so no light had any chance of getting in which was good, because Eric was still lying next to me in his own vampire version of a deep sleep. He was settled on his stomach with no sheets covering any part of him and so I got a great view of that shapely ass of his that I remembered grabbing on to last night more then just a few times. I felt myself blush as my eyes roamed over him and I was glad he had no chance of waking up to catch me staring at him. I just wanted these few seconds of looking at him before I had to get up and go home. And I knew I had to, I hadn't talked to Sookie since I told her I was going with Eric to Fangtasia and I knew she was probably starting to worry. And with my previous night's activities, I hadn't gotten all that much sleep and my stomach was growling at me to feed it. So this was my cue to get going. But I couldn't just pull away yet. I laid there for another second, just watching him, wondering how it was that things had changed so much and had gotten so good.

"Oh Eric." I sighed reaching over to run my fingers over his bare backside, grinning at how I shivered from this simple action. "You have no idea how incredible you make me feel. I love you so much."

I only took enough time to run my fingers through his hair, feeling the silky short strands slip over my skin as I leaned down and kissed his still lips. It was sort of creepy because he was so still and he didn't have to breathe so it was like kissing a corpse. But I didn't want to leave him without some parting and since he was dead asleep, I could talk to him. So I briefly kissed his cold lips again and then threw back the sheets and climbed out of bed without making much noise. I found my clothes in a pile in the corner of the room and I started pulling them back on my body while keeping my eyes on Eric's still form. Once I was fully dressed, I left the room, closing the door behind me and skipping down the hall to the staircase where I took two steps at a time to get down to the first floor. I found my shoes and my keys in the front hallway where I had left them last night and quickly snatched them up before looking at the staircase longingly. I hadn't even left and already I missed Eric even though he was just upstairs. But I knew he would show up later tonight, so I was going to head home and get some things done before I tried to get some more sleep. Because when Eric showed up, I knew things would get physical and in a very good way.

"Goodbye Eric." I said softly before turning to the front door and heading out into the early morning, feeling more alive then I ever had before.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Hello hello hello."

"Where the hell have you been?" Sookie demanded the second Allison walked into the kitchen that morning where Sookie was cleaning up from breakfast and looked at her cousin who was standing there with her hair in a mess and her clothes half disheveled. She was relieved that Allie had finally come home because they hadn't spoken since the night before and it was beginning to worry her. But Allie was standing there, looking tired and slightly in pain, but perfectly happy. So Sookie felt ok enough to ask another question. "And why are you walking so weird?"

"To answer both your questions, I was with Eric." She said simply, stumbling over to the table and dropping down into a chair with her keys making a clatter on the old wood as she tossed them there and propped her chin up in her hand as she sighed. "I decided to stay at his house for the night and we were sort of...occupied for a better part of that time.."

"And you couldn't have called?" Sookie asked, setting down her plates in the sink and turning to look at Allie with a raised eyebrow who was looking back at her with the same expression. "What?"

"Do you not remember his ass? Of course I wouldn't remember to call." Allie giggled, hiding her face in her hands as Sookie cringed in disgust.

"Oh dear lord, do not remind me of that. I do not need to remember that I saw that...that...naked ass on top of you. It's so disturbing." Sookie cringed even harder as that memory had to flash into her head. "Bill is still traumatized by that."

"Oh he'll be fine." Allison waved her hand in the air to dismiss the whole thing. "He still looks at me like I'm a little girl even though I am only 2 years younger then you."

"He's protective of you that's all." Sookie offered with smile as she now remembered the conversation she had with her fiancee after Allie had left with Eric. "He just met you and automatically thought of you as this little sister he needed to protect and that hasn't changed. So it will take time before he is used to the idea of you having sex."

"But he knew I was having sex with Eric before and it was never a problem."

"Yea...but back then he didn't walk in and see it." Sookie pointed out, tossing down the towel she had been holding and came over to the table to sit down next to her cousin. "But even though he hates the idea of you being with Eric, he just wants you to be happy. And if you're happy with Eric, then he will learn to accept it."

"I hope so. Because as I was driving home, I was thinking I had never been more happier then I am now." Allison mumbled, a far away look in her eyes and a serene smile on her face. "It's different this time. I just know it is."

"For your sake, I want that to be true." Sookie nodded, pressing her lips together tightly. "But like I said to Bill last night, I will support your relationship with Eric until I have a reason not to."

"Good, because I need you to be ok with this. I love him and it would be weird to be with him, knowing that neither you or Bill were supportive." Allison pointed out as she ran her hands through her messy hair. "I wouldn't be with Eric for a second time if I thought there was going to be a repeat of 6 months ago. I'm stronger then I was back then and I'm not as naïve as I once was. So it will be ok."

"Well, at least one of us is sure." Sookie grinned, reaching for Allie's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm just glad that you know what you're doing...and more importantly, that you are home for the first time in like 12 hours."

"Yea, me too. I think I will go take a nap." Allison nodded, getting up and stumbled towards the doorway with a giggle. "I'm exhausted. Sex with Eric will do that to you."

"Eww..." Sookie screamed, slamming her hands over her ears as Allie ran out of the kitchen with a laugh.

* * *

><p><em>Something wasn't right. <em>

_I didn't feel right in this room that was covered in black shadows with only one light that was glaring down on me from the ceiling while I heard the sound of footsteps circling around me. I tried to lift my head and see who it was but any movement I made caused me to cry out in pain that was so bad that I would sometimes black out again and wake up, hoping that this time I would be somewhere else. But that never happened. I was still in the same room, surrounded by the same shadows and glaring white light. And my physical state was no better. Any time I even thought about moving, I remembered the sharp pain that had ripped through me and I tried to stay as still as I could so I would remain conscious this time. And for a while it worked and I was ok. But even without the constant pain, I knew I was really hurt and I was just too afraid to take a more thorough assessment of my injuries. I knew it was bad, so I was just going to lay there and hope that I could hold on long enough for someone to find me. But then those footsteps started up again and the closer they got, the more I was beginning to feel more fear then I had ever felt before._

_"Wake up little girl. It's time to talk." A playful voice called out to me from somewhere above my head and I felt a foot poke me in the side and a spasm of pain went through my midsection as he jolted my broken ribs around in his attempt to get my attention. I managed to get my arms around myself and look up with squinted eyes to the face hovering over me. I couldn't see his face but I knew who he was by his voice. It was a voice I had heard the last time I had found myself in his clutches and it was made certain when he began circling around me again. "It's a good thing you're finally awake. We have a lot to talk about."_

_"Like what?" I was able to ask despite the throb coming from deep in my throat, proving to me that someone had grabbed me by the neck at some point and there was most likely bruising there if I was able to get to a mirror to check. I followed Steve Newlin's movements as he walked around me, no one else in the room with us as he seemed to have a point to make to me that he only wanted me to hear._

_"Are you going to give it up to them?" He asked, stopping to stuff his hands in his pockets and waited for me to answer. "Or are we going to have to torture __you until you finally give in?"_

_"I don't...I don't know what you want." I cried out, biting down on my lip as I tried to keep him in sight and therefore put myself through a whole new wave of pain that nearly stole the last breath from my lungs. Newlin seemed to get a lot of enjoyment out of this and he didn't speak again until I had regained my composure enough to meet his eyes and say. "I don't know what you want from me."_

_"Oh...i think you do know.." He smirked, his white teeth visible even in the darkness of this room. "You know exactly what they want. And the longer you try and play innocent, the worse it's going to get for you."_

_"Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything." I begged, tears running down the side of my face as I ignored the pain in my ribcage and cowered into an even tighter ball then I was in before. "What do you want me to do?"_

_"Oh sweetie, it's very simple." Newlin knelt down on the floor next to me and before I should shimmy away, he had grabbed my chin roughly in his hand and grinned at my evilly as I whimpered in pain. "Take this opportunity...end your suffering and give them what they want. And it will all be over and you can pass."_

_"Pass? What do you...Oh god."I felt all the blood drain from my face as realization hit me and I shrank away from his hand in shock. "You mean...die?"_

_"Exactly."_

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, shooting up in the middle of my bed with my arms thrown out in front of me to push off any offending hands that would come near me. But as my eyes adjusted to the late afternoon light drifting through my window and my frenzied heartbeat slowed down, I realized that I was not trapped in some dark room with a crazy Steve Newlin telling me I was not far off from dying. I was in my room, just violently waking up from a bad dream that had occurred when I had laid down to take a nap and there was nothing around me to suggest there was cause for concern. No pain, no shadows and no creepy reverend hovering above me, speaking in cryptic sentences about something I didn't even understand. But it had been just a dream, a nightmare really, but that was all. It wasn't real and it couldn't hurt me. I didn't know why I had suddenly dreamed about being trapped in a room with Steve Newlin, but it was nothing to hold on to right now and if I didn't calm myself down, then Eric or Godric would think I was in danger and would come tearing through the broad sunlight just to make sure I was ok. I wouldn't have them put themselves at risk just because I had a bad dream. So I took a deep breath and blew it out slow between my lips, willing my heart to slow down to a normal beat before I had two vampires bursting into my room all of a sudden.

"It's ok. It was only just a dream. It didn't mean anything." I told myself, catching a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror above my vanity and saw how frazzled I still looked. "It was just a dream. It meant nothing. Just a dream."

* * *

><p><em><span>That night<span>_

"What's the matter with you? You've been staring off into space ever since I got here." Eric pointed out to me later that night as we both laid stretched out on my bed and he kept on twirling a long strand of my hair around his fingers. "I'm starting to wonder if I had done something wrong."

He had been asking me that for the past few hours since he showed up at my window and I had let him in only for him to sweep me literally off my feet in an attempt to get busy within the first few seconds. But it wasn't him or his lack of trying that was not getting me in the mood. And actually I was in the mood, which was obvious when I felt his hand slip underneath my shirt and squeeze my breast and I heard a groan escape from deep within my throat which spurned him to try and move things along even faster. But although my body was willing and ready, I just wasn't there mentally and that was part of the reason why sex with him was so wonderful because we didn't just connect on a physical level, but on an emotional and mental level as well. And with my head just not present for the most part, Eric had given up on trying to get frisky and just laid beside me with his body propped up on his elbow while his hand roamed through my hair as he tried to get me to talk. I didn't want him to think that this was his fault when that wasn't the case at all. So I sighed heavily and sat up, drawing my legs up to my chest and set my chin down on top of my knees.

"It's not you, it's me." I said, biting the inside of mouth as I spoke and I kept my eyes down as I explained why I was so distant. "I took a nap this afternoon and I had a nightmare that really freaked me out. And that's kind of the reason I haven't been in the most attentive kind of mood tonight."

"What was the nightmare about?" Eric asked, looking up at me with a concerned frown in only a way that he could that made me feel almost instantly safe when I saw it.

"I dreamed that I had been abducted again and I was in this dark room with only one light and I was in pain, like a lot of pain. And then I heard this voice speaking to me and it was...Steve Newlin." I watched Eric shoot up into his own sitting position at the mere mention of my previous abductor so I hurried to finish what I was trying to tell him. "And he kept on saying that someone wanted something from me, that if I just gave in and gave them what they wanted, then the pain would stop and I could just...die, peacefully."

"Have you ever had dreams like this before?" Eric demanded, his long legs falling over the side of the bed with a heavy thud. "Were they like visions?"

"No, not at all." I shook my head, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to me. "It felt like a dream because it felt sort of hazy so I knew it wasn't real, but it still scared the crap out of me. Just because it reminded me of the last time he kidnapped me. And I guess it brought up bad memories, that's all."

"That explains why you have been so up in your own head all night." Eric nodded, reaching behind him so his hand found my hand and he squeezed it. "You know, even if it was a vision, I would still do everything in my power to protect you so you wouldn't go through that again. You know that right?"

"I do, but this was just a dream that has stuck with me long after I woke up. So its not like I'm in danger of living it out. So I'm fine." I assured him, using my free hand to comb through my hair before I pulled both hands back and laid down again with my head on my arms. "I just wanted to explain it to you so you didn't think that my bad mood was because of anything you did."

"Well, that's good to know that for once I am in the clear." He replied with a smirk as he turned his body to the side and also laid back down on my bed, reaching over to lay his hand on my hip so I would meet his eyes. "But just to put you at ease, I would never let that happen for a second time. I would guard you with my life."

"I know and I love you for that." I said with a smile, touching his face with my fingers. "But can we just put aside the serious stuff and just start over? Can we just lay here for a while and hold each other?"

"That sounds nice." He smirked, moving over so the space between us was gone and I felt his arm snake around behind me and press me close to his chest where I happily laid my cheek and flung my arm over his waist, sighing in contentment for the first time all day. "You already sound happier."

"That's because I'm with you." I whispered, closing my eyes as my body pressed against his. "And not even nightmares about Steve Newlin can scare me now as long as I am in your arms."

"He will never enter our lives again...i promise you that."

* * *

><p><em><span>Out in Dallas, Texas<span>_

_"Um, can I help you?"_

_"We're here to see your husband. He's expecting us."_

_"He didn't mention it to me..."_

_"That's because this has nothing to do with you. It has to do with the business he wants settled and we came here to do just that."_

_"Then I will go and tell him your here."_

_"Good."_

_"_That was rather rude." The young blonde woman said to herself as she reached the top of the stairs and began the long trek down the hallway of the large Dallas mansion she lived in with her husband and thought back to the very short conversation she had with the group of people that had arrived at the door tonight. They had been disruptive and somewhat lacking in manners but she had let them in anyway because knew her husband had been waiting on an arrival but she hadn't known it would be these kinds of people. Steve had been very strict about the type of people they associated with and she hadn't expected him to get involved with this particular group, but there had to be a reason, there always was.

She listened to her steps as they echoed throughout the hallway, her heels against the sleek dark wood sounding like she was running across the upstairs when she wasn't. Steve could probably hear her coming, but he was most likely so involved in his work that he wasn't paying attention to anything else. He had been like that for months now, spending more time in his office when he wasn't on TV giving speeches trying to over throw the vampire rights amendment that had just passed not that long ago and she often wondered what he was up to. He only spent that much time in his office when he was coming up with a plan to make a big statement and she wanted to know what this one was about. She had asked him about it before and he would only say that this time it was all going to work out. And then he wouldn't give any more clue as to what exactly he meant, with the exception of tonight being it, as he had told her to keep watch for a group of people that he needed to meet with right away. So as she turned the corner and came into the open doorway of his large home office, she gathered her words together to deliver to him as her eyes landed on him sitting on the plush leather couch in the corner of the room and she knocked on the door.

"Ah Sarah, what can I do for you sweetheart?" He asked with his pure white smile that he had spent a fortune on to perfect for all his television appearances and looked at her with a questioning expression in his eyes. "Is there something you wanted?"

"No...I just came to tell you that...The witch coven has arrived and they are waiting downstairs to talk to you." Sarah said, watching curiously as his face lit up and he got to his feet almost immediately. "What is going on? Why are you meeting with a bunch of witches?"

"Sarah, it's all part of a plan I have to take back control of the world that belongs to us." Steve explained, coming up to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Now, that's not going to happen right away. But these witches, even though they are not entirely human, they are still more human then werewolves, vampires and shifters. And they can help us get revenge for what what happened these last couple of years when the vampires showed their true colors."

"But why are they agreeing to help you?" Sarah asked, understanding where he was going with this, but there was still the matter of trying to figure out why a group of people who practice witchcraft were sitting in their living room waiting to talk to him. There had to be a reason. "What's in it for them?"

"Well..let's just say there is something they want from the Stackhouse girl." Steve snickered, kissing her forehead and stepping around her towards the door but he paused before he left the room and looked over his shoulder at her. "Allison Stackhouse has escaped the punishment she was suppose to get once before...they won't let her go unharmed...not this time."


	23. What did we start

**Chapter 23 What did we start**

_A few nights later_

"So remind me again why I came here?" I asked Eric in a near whisper as I sat beside him up on the small stage inside of Fangtasia and glanced around me uncomfortably. I had been coming here nearly every night as per Eric's request, mostly to spend time with him and it wasn't fair that he always came to me. And he did have a business to run, so he had to be here at least a few times a week. But tonight was the first time I had really questioned why he insisted that I remain completely at his side at all times. It was like he thought there was trouble around us and he was trying to protect me, which was actually very sweet. "Is something going on that I don't know about?"

"No, not at all. I just thought you were still freaked out about that dream you had and I wanted to keep you close by until you felt safe." He turned his head and smirk down at me for the first time all night. "And I like being the hero that wants to protect you. It's fun for me."

"Well that's sweet of you." I grinned, squeezing his arm when he reached over to place his hand protectively on my leg to show that I belonged to him. "And I like having you step up to be my knight. It's so much less annoying then when Bill does it."

"That's because Bill Compton is a pansy ass and gets on everyone's nerves." Eric replied with a laugh, gaining the attention of a few humans near by who looked at him with interest like they wanted to be in on the joke. I sent them a glare to basically say to back off or else I would get down off this stage and kick some ass, feeling a flame of jealousy rise up in me that I had never felt before and it only seemed to amuse Eric. "Feeling possessive?"

"Maybe I am." I told him with a smirk of my own, eying the human women who were still staring at Eric with wide eyes. "You are mine. And I don't want any other women looking at you like they want to have sex with you."

"What's wrong with that?" Eric wanted to know, pretending to look like he didn't think there was anything wrong with that and grabbed my wrist before I could hit him. "Careful now. You don't want to hurt yourself."

"You know, sometimes you can be so..."I started to say but my voice went silent as I watched a violent shiver come over Eric's body at that moment. A shiver that said it wasn't from touching me or from feeling an arousal, it was from something much deeper. I looked at him in concern and touched his hand. "Are you ok?"

"I need to go." He said suddenly, getting to his feet with his hands leaving me as his eyes searched the crowded bar for someone. "Godric summoned me and I have to go to him."

"Ok, I'll go with you." I told him, running my hands through my hair as he stepped down from the stage and began walking through the crowded floor as I ran to catch up with his long strides. Things had taken a turn so suddenly that I didn't have a second to figure it out, I just had to go with it. I followed Eric through the door behind the bar and down the hall to his office. "Eric slow down, I said I would go with you."

"You can't." He said to me when the door was closed behind us and he closed his eyes in concentration before opening them. "Godric needs to speak to me in private so you must remain here. Pam will keep an eye on you until I get back. I don't think it will take long."

"Why do I get the feeling that something is going on that you're not telling me about?" I asked suspiciously, crossing my arms as my thoughts ran in circles while he grabbed his leather jacket and shrugged in to it with out even looking at me. "Eric, tell me what is happening?"

"I don't know what is happening, Godric doesn't summon me all that often, so whatever it is, it must be serious." He retorted, his voice almost sounded harsh as he looked at me at the same time the door to the office opened and in walked Pam, looking bored as usual. As soon as his child walked in, Eric's attention was focused on her and he said. "Pam, watch her tonight until I get back. Those are my orders and you better damn well follow them."

"Oh...I will gladly do that." Pam said without resistance, her entire face lighting up at this prospect as Eric headed towards the back door and Pam stared at me in amusement. "This is going to be fun."

"Eric, just stop for a minute." I protested, ignoring Pam and trying to go after Eric, but he was gone before I could even take 3 steps towards him and I was left alone to figure out why I felt like something bad was about to happen.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"Come on Eric, where are you?" Godric muttered to himself out loud as he paced across the empty porch of his progeny's house and looked to the dark starry, sky for any sign of the former viking but there was nothing there to say he was on his way, but he must have been because Godric could feel that Eric had felt his summon and it would only be a matter of time before his child was here. And then he could begin to explain why there had been such a desperate need to meet up at Eric's house where no one could interrupt them. There was no time for interruptions, especially when it appeared as if there could be something the matter. And it was all thanks to that call he had received not that long ago.

It had been just like any other night when he had woken up just as the sun had slipped below the horizon and he had no reason to believe that tonight was going to be any different then the previous few nights. There was no gut feeling, there was no suspicious activity, nothing was out of the ordinary until he had gotten that call. That call changed everything and it was would change things in ways that he couldn't even begin to imagine. Just when he had thought that things were going to settle down and that they could all be happy, that call came and threw things off balance and the future was now uncertain and shrouded in darkness that he couldn't interpret until he had spoken to his child. There were things that were being set in motion that he couldn't stop and the more time he wasted, the worse it could get. And he didn't even know the entire story, he just knew what he had been told over the phone and that was enough to pt him on edge and make him nervous...

"Godric." Eric's voice came out of the darkness, breaking him from his thoughts and he focused his eyes on the space in front of him just in time to see his progeny step up the stone steps and stand before him on the porch with his hands tucked under his arms. "What's going on?"

"We might have a problem." Was the first thing out of Godric's mouth as a response and on any other night, he would have taken a second to ease into it, but he didn't have any extra time.

"Oh great, I knew things couldn't stay calm for long." Eric threw his arms up in the air and even with no light to be seen, there was a look of frustration on Eric's face as he turned to look down at him. "What exactly do you mean there is a problem?"

"I got a call not that long ago...from Isabel." Godric explained, thinking back to the call that had barely lasted more then just a few minutes from the lieutenant who had taken his position as sheriff in Dallas. It hadn't been that long ago when Isabel had found out about his resurrection and when she called, he figured it had been about trying to get him to reclaim his position but it was not that at all. It was worse. "She has been hearing whispers around the community and the surrounding areas of a possible uprising by the Fellowship."

"What makes her think that they are going to try and start trouble again?" Eric wanted to know, leaning against a side pillar with a cautious look on his face.

"They have been spotted, more specifically Steve Newlin..." Godric saw Eric's body stiffen at the sound of the reverend's name. "..has been spotted meeting with a coven of witches known around the Dallas area, even though the humans say his church is against witchcraft of any kind. So the fact that he has been seen talking to them, can only mean that he has some kind of plot up his sleeve."

"You're right, that does sound suspicious. Especially with anything involving that fanatic Steve Newlin." Eric growled out this statement, his eyes turning to slits as he talked. " But what does this have to do with any of us?"

"Isabel hired a human to be a spy for her, to infiltrate the Fellowship so they could be kept aware of the Church's actions and plans without arousing suspicion. And with this spy in the Fellowship's mists, he found out something very disturbing that he reported to Isabel and she in turn called me about only 30 minutes ago." Godric said, not wanting to say the rest because the minute he did, it would destroy the new found happiness that his child had found lately. But he also knew he couldn't keep it to himself or else that happiness would be even more short lived. "Eric...the spy heard Allison's name brought up."

"I knew it, I knew it wouldn't be long before that asshole tried to pull something else. I should have killed him when I had the chance." Eric snapped, his hands curling into fists and it hadn't been for Godric grabbing his arm, then Eric would have surely run off and done something extremely bad. "What does he want with her now?"

"I don't know and neither does Isabel. All that is know is that she is somewhat of a target for Newlin and this coven. They seem to want something from her." Godric tightened his grip on his child's arm, knowing he could keep Eric in this spot without commanding him. "She's in danger Eric. And I don't even know what we are up against. But we need to protect her."

"I promised her I would never let Newlin come near her again." Eric murmured, seemingly distracted by something that made his body relax and Godric felt ok enough to let him go and watched as Eric sat down on the steps and lay his arms on his knees. "I said I would keep him from hurting her after she told me about...oh shit."

"What is it?" Godric demanded, seeing something go off in his progeny's eyes and it was serious enough for Godric to take a seat next to him with his hand on Eric's shoulder. "What is going through your head?"

"She had a nightmare a few nights ago that scared her but she dismissed it as nothing and I did the same. At least until now and I'm wondering I should have taken it more seriously then." Eric muttered, his face contorting into a frown as he recounted this dream out loud. "She said she was in this room with Newlin and she had been injured and he kept on saying something weird. Like he wanted her to give something up to him. But he kept on saying them, like there was someone else involved that she couldn't see. And he said to her if she just gave them what they wanted, then the pain would end and she would pass on. And that's when she woke up."

"No wonder she had been off that day." Godric nodded, remembering when he had called to speak to her and had heard the distraction in her voice as she struggled to hold up her end of the conversation and now he knew why that was. "I don't blame her for being scared. Although the timing is weird that she had that dream..."

"I'm thinking the same thing especially after you telling me all this." Eric turned to him with an even deeper frown. "Don't you think it's odd that she had this nightmare and then 3 days later you get a call about the Fellowship saying they are teaming up with a bunch of witches to come after her?"

"What are you getting at?" Godric was curious because Eric's rambling were starting to take form inside of his head and he wanted to understand.

"Is there a possibility of this being somehow related?" Eric asked, getting to his feet suddenly and began a rapid pace across the grass. " I mean because it seems too coincidental that she had this nightmare of being taken by Newlin and tortured for something only for you to find out tonight, that there are talks of Newlin and these witches trying to pull a fast one."

"You have a point. It does seem too closely related." Godric agree, his own frown taking place over his lips and he jumped to his feet and watched Eric zip across the yard. "But I don't know if I can confirm it because I don't have the answers."

"But you always have the answers." Eric protested, coming to a stop with his hands on his hips. "You have never not had the answers and the one time you don't is a time when the situation is really crucial. You have to find out if this is really related because it could be helpful. You need to know where to go from here because if anything happens to her, I don't know what..."

"Eric, calm down. Nothing is going to happen to her. I promise you that. I would die first before I let anything harm her." Godric assured his child, knowing it wasn't going to come to that and he would make sure that all got an understanding to ease their fears. "I said I don't have the answers, but I may know someone who does."

"Who..." Eric began to speak but Godric quickly shook his head, cutting his child off before he could even finish saying anything else.

"There's no time to ask questions. If I'm going to get an answer soon then I can't waste time in letting you come up with things to ask me. I need to be traveling so I can get back with something helpful." Godric told him, squeezing his arm before stepping back and looking to the sky. "I'm commanding you to not run off to Dallas to pick a fight. You stay here and you remain alert. At the first sign of trouble, you take that girl and run."

"Godric..."

"No time Eric, just do what I say. I don't care what you have to do, but do whatever you have to, to keep her safe until I get back with answers." He made sure his child knew he was serious. And when he got a curt nod from Eric, he launched himself into the sky and flew away, hoping that where he was headed would give him at least one answer to a question that had come up.

* * *

><p><em><span>Out in Dallas<span>_

"So I think it's time we talk about how to get this plan started." Steve Newlin said out loud to the group composed in the living room around him and flashed them one of his famous TV smiles and continued. "I'm sure you all are anxious to get that girl in your grasps so let's actually figure out how to do it."

"Everything is going according to plan." One of the male witches spoke up from an armchair on the wall opposite from where he was sitting. "The vampires around here know we are up to something, and by now they will have alerted the Louisiana vampires to our actions. So they know trouble is brewing."

"Wait, the vamps know something is going on?" Steve asked in clarification, frowning as this did not sound right. "But if they know we are joining forces, then they will be more alert then ever. We will never be able to capture Allison Stackhouse."

"That's where you're wrong. It will create an element of fear if they know something is gathering strength down here in Dallas, but they won't know what exactly until it is too late. So whether they know we are scheming is of no importance." A female witch spoke up from over by the window where she had been sitting in silence since the coven's arrival and by the way they all tensed up, it was obvious that this was their leader. "They can't stop us and when we get that girl, everything will really start to fall into place."

"So explain to me again why we can't simply take the girl by force?" Steve piped up, gaining the leader's undivided attention when he said this. "I mean, it worked a few months when we simply kidnapped her. I don't see why it can't work again."

"It's a different time now then it was then. She's is different and she has grown into her powers even more then she had before. And that's a good thing, because we want her to have as much strength and power as she is capable of having." The leader cackled, twisting her long fingers around each other. "But it also means that she will be more difficult to simply take. So we would have to find another way to get to her. We would have to give her no choice but to come to us willingly. We need to draw her to us."

"Ok, that makes more sense." Newlin found himself nodding, running his fingers through his perfectly coiffed hair. "But if you are saying we need to get her to come to us, instead of just taking her, then how are we suppose to do that?"

"Oh, it's all very simple." The lead witch said, crossing her black legging covered legs over each other and clasped her hands together. "We target her by any means necessary...she'll be in so much pain by the time we get through with her that she will give us what we want so willingly just so she can be at peace...It will happen, just give it time."

"And you're sure it will work?" Newlin asked doubtfully to the witch who had now gotten to her feet and he could see that she would tower over him if he was standing.

"Oh it will work...big time."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"Ok Pam, I know you're loving this arrangement, but you can put me down right now." I hissed at the female vampire as she dumped me on the ground outside of Eric's house and stood above me with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile on her face. We had been at Fangtasia for the past hour just like we had been ordered to do by Eric and Pam had taken her duties very seriously and hadn't let me out of her sight even in the slightest. But then Eric had called her on the office phone and asked that she bring me here to his house. And instead of taking a car or taxi like a normal person would, Pam had simply tossed me over her shoulder and zipped out the door and through the night until she got to the front yard of the house and slowed down long enough for me to tell her to put me down. And now that we were here, I was able to finally stand on my own two feet. "Thanks for just dropping me. You could have been nicer about it."

"Sweetie, that was me being nice about it." Pam replied, flicking her hair behind her shoulders as I dusted my jeans off with the back of my hands. "Maybe next time you will just let me have a little more fun."

"Ugh, you are so Eric's progeny." I rolled my eyes at her, looking behind her to the house that didn't have any lights on. "Is Eric even home?"

"Yes I am." Eric suddenly appeared in front of us out of no where and if it wasn't for me being prepared for it, then I would have end up back on the ground. Eric's eyes roamed over me, but not in a sexual way. It was like he was checking to make sure I was ok and no harm had come to me in even the tiniest bit. I wondered if this had anything to do with the way he had been acting before he left me with Pam. "You're ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine." I told him with a frown, seeing the intense way he was looking at me and it made me think something was up because I hadn't seen him look at me like that since after he had rescued me from the Fellowship. "What's going on?"

"We need to talk." He said seriously, not sounding like himself as he grabbed my hands in his and nodded at Pam. "You can go now."

"Do I have to?" She asked with a curious smirk, her eyes on me again. " I was hoping to stay and watch this. It looks like it could be fun."

"Pam, leave now." He commanded in a deep voice that said he meant business and Pam must have known that because she took off back down the driveway and was out of sight within just a few seconds. I looked up at Eric and he looked down at me and even in the darkness of the yard, I could see that his face was lined with tension.

"Eric, are you ok? Is something wrong?" I questioned, pulling my hands out of his grasp and walking around him towards the house. It felt weird to be standing out in the yard when it seemed like we were about to have a serious moment. "Why did Godric summon you?"

"That was for a business matter that doesn't involve you." He said quickly and I knew right away that it did relate to me somehow but I knew Eric's moods well enough to know not to push him on this. He was stubborn beyond hell and would never tell me anything if I annoyed him too much. So I had no choice but to just accept whatever it was that he wanted to tell me. He pushed open the front door and shoved me inside, locking the door quickly before whipping around to face me and just looked at me without saying a word.

"Ok, can you start explaining why this night has me feeling like something big is about to happen?" I looked up into his brilliant blue eyes, feeling a heaviness settle into the pit of my stomach and I bit the inside of my mouth nervously. "I know something is wrong, because you look nervous and you never look nervous. So please just tell me something, anything."

"Nothing's wrong, I just have something to ask you." He replied, tossing his keys on the table set against the wall and came up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Now, you trust me..right?"

"Uh, yea, but right now I'm wondering if I should be thinking differently." I said, swallowing hard as I saw the look in his eyes change. "Just say whatever it is you want to say and don't bullshit me. I can take it."

Eric watched me for the longest time, as if he were studying every part of my face so he could memorize it forever. And seeing him look at me like that just reinforced the feeling that my entire life was about to be turned upside down. And in a few seconds it did. Eric stepped closer to me, his hands coming up to cup my face and for the briefest of moments, I thought he was just going to kiss me and say this whole thing was a joke. But he never did kiss me and in fact, his lips never came close to mine and it was making me more confused then I ever thought I could be. What the hell could Eric be needing to say to me that had him looking so unlike himself? But I didn't have a chance to get up the courage to ask because at that moment he opened his mouth and said the very thing I was not ever expecting him to say.

"I want you to move in with me."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe I am here." Godric grumbled as he stood on the porch steps of the small cottage set deep inside the woods and looked at this place he hadn't been to in so many years. With him dying and then being resurrected, it truly had been another lifetime ago that he had last been here and he wasn't even sure his presence would be welcomed when he raised his hand to knock, but he couldn't think about that. He had to at least try and get whatever answers he could wrangle or else Eric would be furious.<p>

He hadn't lied to his progeny when he said he didn't have the answers to any question he had been asked and it was true, he honestly didn't know if there was anything to worry about with Allison dreaming of Steve Newlin just days before news of his new uprising had broken out. It could have been just a really weird and freaky coincidence and nothing more. But the look in Eric's eyes said he didn't really believe that and to be perfectly truthful, Godric didn't believe it either. It was just too perfectly placed and fitted. Her dreaming about being back in the Fellowship's clutches and then him hearing from Isabel that Newlin had joined up with a coven of witches and they did indeed want her, told him that something about Allison was not what they had always thought. When he had seen Allison through Eric before the resurrection, he knew she was a Faerie and a full blooded Faerie at that. And now being around her and witnessing what she could do and hearing about this possible new power, he had this distinct feeling that she had more power within her then anyone had originally thought. And with him being as old as he was, he should have been able to tell his child what the answer was, but he just didn't have that knowledge inside of him. But he did know someone who did, and that was what led him to the doorstep of a person he hadn't laid eyes on in a thousand years. And as a light flickered on and the door opened, Godric had to gather up all his courage for the task he had ahead of himself.

"Hello old friend." He said when the vampire, who didn't look any older then 26 but was actually just as old as he was, appeared in the door frame with a shocked but cautious expression on his pale face.

"Godric, what are you doing here?" The other vampire asked suspiciously, gripping the side of the door so tightly that it began to splinter in the silence of the forest. "We haven't spoken since we parted ways a thousand years ago. So why are you here now with no warning?"

"I need your help." He answered honestly, wishing he had the time to get through the uneasiness that still existed between them even after all this time. But that would have to wait until he had gotten answers to what he needed to know. "I have to know something because it's really important."

"And what would that be?" The slightly older looking vampire asked, crossing his arms and pressed his lips into a tight line as Godric stepped through the doorway into the dark interior of the house while his former friend shut the door and he turned around to face him with a determined and serious look on his face. It wasn't going to be easy to get this vampire to divulge the information that he needed, but there was no one else for Godric to turn to. No one else would know the answer and there may not even be an answer. But if there was, the vampire standing in front of him would know. So he looked up and when their eyes met, Godric opened his mouth and spoke.

"I need you to tell me everything you know from the time you spent with the Faeries."

**A/N: And the plot thickens...So Godric knows that something is brewing in Dallas and that Newlin is behind it with a bunch of witches, but what exactly do they want from Allie? And what kind of chaos are they planning to unleash? And Eric asked her to move in? What will her reaction be to this? And what was up with the vampire Godric went to go see for answers? What is their story? There is alot more meat to bite in to in the coming chapters, so stayed tuned!**


	24. Out of the past

**Chapter 24 Out of the past**

"Godric...it's been a while." The older looking vampire stated as he walked further into the room, turning on no lights as he went to a nearby armchair and sat down with his arms crossed over his tall frame and a suspicious look in his dark eyes. "A thousand years to be exact, with no contact at all. Why exactly are you turning up all of a sudden wanting to know about the Faeries?"

"I have a problem brewing and I need to gather as much information as I can so I can keep everyone safe. And you're the only other vampire I know, who spent as more time with the Faeries then I did. So I need to know what you know." Godric told him, keeping his tone light and free of any heaviness because if it got too heated between them this quickly, then he would surely find himself alone and with no answers and that couldn't happen. He needed to get his questions answered or else Allison couldn't be safe. And his former friend was the only vampire from that time period who could help, he was more privy to the secrets of the Fae. "Louie, danger is coming and if you can tell me what I have to know then it might be able to be prevented."

"What kind of danger?" Louie asked curiously, his face slipping from its previous mask of suspicion and into one of curiosity. "What trouble have you gotten into this time?"

"I'm sure you have heard of the mess the Fellowship of the Sun has created over the years in their continuing war against the vampires." Godric watched his friend nod, relieved that for now they were on the same page. "Well, last year they targeted a young girl from Bon Temps named Allison Stackhouse and she barely survived their abduction and torture. But now they are targeting her again, only this time they are doing it with the help of a witch coven."

"Why do they want a human girl?" Louie asked, running his large hand through his dark hair and frowned. "And why would Steve Newlin team up with witches?"

"I don't know but they must have a common goal or else Newlin wouldn't be associating with them. And I have no idea what they want with her. Last year, they were using her to make an example out of the vampire community and now I don't know what they have in mind. All I heard was that her name was brought up amongst them and I suspect they were behind a recent attempt to assassinate a female vampire in Shreveport. So something is going on and there is a lot of things to answers and the only things I can hope to know about are what you can offer me." Godric said, setting his hands on his knees and keeping his eyes trailed to the ground. "Will you help me?"

"I don't see what this has to do with why you came here." Louie scoffed, rolling his eyes in the dark so it had a creepy effect. "I mean, you're talking about the Fellowship setting their focus on some human girl, but yet you walk in here demanding that I tell you what I know about the Faeries. I don't see how any of that relates to each other."

"That's because I left out one little miniscule detail." Godric knew this was the part that was going to make things get messy. If there was ever a part of their reunion that was going to bring up the past, it was going to be what he had to say next. The next sentence was going to prove to be the very thing that would remind the both of them for why they had not spoken in a thousand years, as if they would forget it. It was a dark piece of their shared history that they both kept in the back of their memories, refusing to acknowledge it in their current lives because it was too painful to think about alone. But now that they were in the same room for the first time since it happened, everything came rushing back to the surface and neither could stop the fact that their past was what had lead them here, back together for the first time in a millennium. The significance was not lost on either of them. And in another time, Godric would have wanted to take the time to work through the hurdle in front of them, but he didn't have time to do that. The sooner he got answers the sooner he could get back t Shreveport and protect Allison. And in order to do that, he needed to provide this last bit of information. "Allison..she is uh, she is...she is a Faerie."

"Excuse me? Did you just say she was a Faerie?" Louie sat up suddenly, his hands gripping the arms of the chair in his haste to confirm this. "They were suppose to be extinct, none were suppose to still be roaming around."

"That came to be untrue, because she comes from a line of Faeries. But she is the most magical of all. She is one of the last full blooded Faeries around. And that's the reason I came here. Because I need to know what other powers she could possibly possess in order to keep her safe." Godric leaned forward, his arms on his knees as he locked eyes with Louie. "Can you tell me what you know?"

"She's a full blooded Fae?" Louie asked this more to himself then to Godric, but Godric still nodded in confirmation, forcing his old friend into a tense silence in which he just stared unblinking into the dark shadows around them. There was something brewing behind his dark, fierce eyes and Godric was on the verge of breaking the quiet when Louie beat him to it and said with a scoff. "You're involved with another Faerie? I guess some things haven't changed at all."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

_"I want you to move in with me."_

"Eric what the fuck?" I found myself blurting out without even thinking about what I was saying, but I was so completely taken aback by his statement that I didn't have enough time to think it over before my mouth took over and expressed my shock. "What the hell is this about?"

"Uh, I thought it was obvious." Eric said with a frown, his hands going deep into his pockets as he stood there in the hallway in front of me. "I think we should move in together."

"Again I say the same thing. What the fuck?" I slapped my hand over my mouth and stepped away from him, my heart pounding fast inside my chest to the point where I thought I was going to pass out. "This doesn't make any sense. Why would you ask me to move in with you?"

"So we can be together all the time. What's wrong with that?" Eric looked at me through narrowed eyes as if he was quickly becoming offended because I wasn't immediately saying yes.

"It's so out of the blue and more then just a little random for someone like you. I mean this whole night has been weird and then you pull this on me? Something has to be going on." I told, knowing that the timing of his request just didn't jive well with the events of the evening. "I mean, you run off to talk to Godric and leave me with your crazy progeny and then you have her bring me here and not only do you refuse to tell me what you talk about, but then you ask me to move in with you. What the hell gives?"

"Maybe I just don't want to waste any more time being apart since everything went down last year. Maybe I just want us to move forward with our lives." Eric shrugged, not looking at all like he thought this was a problem. In fact, he looked perfectly calm in all his facial features but when I looked into his eyes, I could see there was something off about them. He appeared normal and like himself, but there was something in his eyes that suggested he was hiding something.

"No...that's not it. You wouldn't just ask me to move in all of sudden after we just got back together, it's too soon and it's moving too fast. And I know you, you would never do something like this unless there was a big reason behind it. Because you would never ask me to do something like move in just because you want us to move forward. that 's not you and I know that. So tell me the truth." I stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing his arms in my small hands so he couldn't back away. "What is going on?"

"Nothing. I just want to live with the woman I love. I don't see why that makes you think that is cause for concern." He shrugged as if completely at ease but I wasn't convinced in the slightest. Now that I had seen that brief look in his eyes, I was sure that this was not going to mean anything good. And until he told me the truth, I couldn't give him an answer. "So just say yes and we can go and have fun the rest of the night."

"Tell me what is really the matter and I will say yes." I shot back at him, knowing that if he didn't tell me now then he would never tell me, at least not tonight. So when I looked up at him and met his eyes, I had my answer. Eric had that stubborn look in his blue orbs and I knew it was going to be useless trying to get anything out of him. So I couldn't be bothered in giving him what he wanted in return. "Sorry Eric, but if you won't tell me the truth, then I won't give you an answer at all."

"Do you have to question everything I do?" He snapped, ripping himself away from me and even though I knew he was hiding something, he still looked offended. "Why can't you just go with what I ask for once?"

"Eric, don't be so..."I didn't get a chance to finish what I was saying because Eric turned on his heels and disappeared from the spot before I could even blink. A second later I could hear a door slam shut from somewhere underneath me and I know he was most likely in his safe room with the lock firmly in place. I sighed, there was no way I was going down there to talk to him. He was too heated to speak with right now for him to see where I was coming from. So I was just going to go into the living room and sit in front of the fire until it was safe to try and talk to him again.

* * *

><p><em>"You're involved with another Faerie?"<em>

"No, you have it all wrong." Godric found himself protesting in response to Louie's outrageous statement that suggested that Godric's bond with Allison was more then just a close friendship. Because it was outrageous to think that he could possibly ever see her as anything other then the girl who had saved him from the tomb and the person who had become his best friend. Louie didn't know any of that and it was obvious that when the subject of Faeries was brought up, it brought back a pain that made him not as receptive to reality as he had been before. But still Godric almost wanted to laugh at the whole thing. Sure he may not have thought of Allison in the terms of the same way that Eric did, but Godric wasn't blind. Even he could admit that Allison was attractive and beautiful inside and out. But there would never be a romantic interest even if Eric wasn't in the picture. He just couldn't ever look at her like that. And that's what he would tell Louie. "I have a progeny named Eric, he's the one who is in love with Allison, not me. I love her too, but not in the same way as he does."

"Oh really?" Louie didn't look convinced and actually got up out of his chair and walked across the room to the opposite wall and stood there staring at it. "Why do I not believe that is the truth?"

"Because I probably brought up an unpleasant memory for you." Godric replied, feeling the same flash of pain go through him that he could tell Louie was feeling. It was hard not to when the mere mention of Faeries were the reason for that pain. He himself got up from his seat but he stayed on his side of the room. "But its true what I said. Eric is in love with her. She and I just have a deep friendship because she helped me in a very profound way. And because of that, I want to keep her safe, so they can be happy. It's why I came here. For them, not me."

"You sure it's not to find out something to use to your advantage so you can edge out your progeny?" Louie wanted to know, his voice taking on a hard tinge as his body shook with an unspoken anger. "Are you not going to use this to get what you want?"

"Of course not. I could never do that to Eric and I have no interest or intention in doing it." Godric snapped back defensively, sounding unlike himself as he stared across the dark room. He knew the two of them had unresolved issues, but to even suggest that he was here for anything other then to help Allison was ridiculous. "Where is this coming from?"

"So...will you try and take her away too?" Louie asked, looking over his shoulder at him but he still didn't turn around. Although Godric was still able to see the ghost of a look that passed over his face and it made something stir deep inside of him from a place he never visited.

"Oh Louie. It's not the same thing. It's not like that at all." Godric whispered, knowing exactly what he was referring to without it even having to be said out loud. It was the great unspoken between them for the past 1,000 years and until now, Godric never had to talk about it with anyone and he just thought that if he could ignore it for this long, then maybe it would ease to exist. But even he knew that wasn't possible. He could never forget what happened between them all those hundred of years ago, an event that has ruined a strong standing friendship that could have lasted throughout the ages. But it had been cut off so quickly that it was almost like it had never been there. And it had and the longer he stood there pretending like that wasn't the case, the more it would drive a wedge between them. "Louie that was a thousand years ago and I'm different now, we both are. We're not the same vampires we use to be, it's not like it was the last time. The circumstances are different and if you help me, it won't end up in tragedy like it did with..."

"No!" Louie suddenly exclaimed, whirling around for the first time since they began talking and his calm face was taken over by a look so dark and so menacing that Godric was certain Louie would lunge at him, but he didn't. Instead he maintained his composure and closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Don't start with that...Do not speak her name and do not go there. Or else I won't help you."

"But why? Why can't we talk about her?" Godric asked, not having the courage to say her name out loud, a name that he hadn't said or even whispered since he and Louie parted ways. "She was part of our lives and..."

"I don't want to talk about her. And I don't want you to either." Louie growled, the tips of his fangs emerging in the dark. "Do not bring her up out of the past. She's gone and any desire to think about or remember her, well that died right along with her. So don't even mention it."

"That's why we have to talk about her." Godric protested, not standing down and not being afraid of the possible fight about to happen. "We haven't let her name pass between us in a thousand years and that's too long to let..."

"Godric! Damn you, don't you listen? I said no talk of the past or of her." Louie stepped forward in his seemingly desperate urge to throw something across the room, but he was able to reign himself in and moved backwards again. "I don't really want to have to talk to you, but I know you well enough to know that even if I sent you away, you would still come back until you had your answers. So I will tell you what you want to know, but I will not talk about her. If you want answers, then drop this. Or I will disappear and we won't see each other for another thousand years."

"Alright, alright...Consider it dropped."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"So I think maybe we should talk." Eric's voice broke through the silence that had been filling the living room for the past hour and I turned my eyes away from the book I was reading and saw that he was standing behind me leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets and a grumpy look on his face. "About our ...tiny disagreement."

"Wow, I believe this is a record for you." I said smartly, tossing the book on the table in front pf my and pulled my legs up onto the couch while I looked at him. "It only took you 60 minutes this time to calm down and come talk to me."

"Don't make jokes, I'm trying to be serious." Eric grumbled, standing up straight and taking slow steady steps around the side of the sofa before dropping down to the other end from me. "I thought it over and just maybe you were right for refusing."

"You don't hear me when I speak do you?" I ask, sounding more frustrated then I actually was. "I never said no. I just said I wouldn't give you an answer until you told me what was really going on."

"Well to me, that still sounds like a no." Eric shot back, a look of pure annoyance flashing through his blue eyes. "I don't do shit like this, asking girls to move in with me. I'm not some pathetic human but tonight you made me feel like one."

"That's not my fault. I never asked you or even gave you the impression that I thought we should take things further. I didn't do anything or the sort. That was all you, so don't you dare blame it on me." I frowned, refusing to feel bad for not saying yes. It wasn't that I didn't love the idea of living with Eric because I did, but if I didn't think it was for the right reasons, then I wasn't going to agree to it. And there certainly wasn't a good reason to agree when I knew something was wrong. "I was perfectly ok with the way things were going. I didn't feel the need to change anything so I don't know why you did."

"Maybe I just wanted to prove to you I could do something good this time around. Did you ever think about that?" Eric practically shouted this at me, but I knew deep down this wasn't really about moving in so I wasn't offended or hurt by his words. "Why can't you just let me do something normal and good for once and not have you over analyze it?"

"Because I'm not use to good things happening to me." I muttered, frowning deeply and I turned my head away to look at the fire again, suddenly feeling a tightness in my chest. "Nothing good happened to me my entire life. My aunt and uncle died when I was a kid and my parents committed suicide just a few months later. I was only 22 when my grandmother died and then all this shit with the Fellowship started and we all know how that ended. And then secrets about my past come out and for a while, I didn't know who I was. And then you happened and that was the last of it. So whenever something good happens, I feel the need to question it. Because nothing good ever happens to me unless it is followed by something bad. And why should anything good happen to me to now? It didn't happen when I was a kid, so why should now be any different?"

"You do deserve to have good things happen to you and I'm just trying to prove that to you." Eric's voice had softened and he stretched one of his arms along the back of the couch as he spoke. "But maybe jumping into it this quickly wasn't the right thing to do."

"You know that I love you and in any other time I would have said yes, but I can't agree to it right now because I feel like you're using it as a wall to hide behind. I know you're not telling me something. So I can't say yes to this crazy idea unless I know it's something you want." I explained, crossing my arms and looking down at my lap. "And even if it is something you want and I may even want it. But it's too soon, way too soon. We just got back together. I don't know why we can't just have fun together without jumping the gun and move in this soon. Do you understand that?"

"I guess I do." Eric replied with a heavy sigh and I knew that he was giving in. "But I still want you close by."

"Because something is wrong right?" I looked up to see his eyes were not on me and without him even saying it or even nodding, it was confirmed for me. "I knew it, I just knew it."

"I don't know the whole story and until I do, I would rather not worry you." Eric said with a shrug and I could understand that reasoning. I mean, there was no point in worrying until there was something to worry over. It would just drive me crazy and I couldn't live like that. I felt his eyes on me and when I focused on his face, he held his hand out to me and said. "Come here."

I paused for a second, wondering if I should just maintain distance and then decided against it. I took his hand and allowed him to pull me across the sofa and right into his lap, where I placed my arm across the back of his neck and leaned my forehead against his with a sigh. I knew he wasn't going to give me anymore to the story then what he had already confirmed, but I wasn't about to end the night with us being annoyed with each other. So I placed my other arm around him until he looked at me and I smiled.

"You know, I do find it very sweet that you wanted us to live together and I would be lying if I said I wasn't considering it. But it shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't be that we make a big decision like moving in just because something is wrong. If we do decide to live together, it should be because we both want to. Not because you feel obligated to protect me." I told him, running my fingers through his short blonde hair. "But not saying yes, it doesn't mean I don't love you. You know I do."

"Maybe you do." He replied, his old smirk coming out onto his lips and I knew everything was ok now because if it wasn't, he would be looking at me like that. He placed his hand on my cheek and stroked my face before saying. "I love you too."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes<span>_

"Ok, I take it back. I can't shut up."

"Of course you can't." Louie rolled his eyes from his spot across the room that was still encased in shadows like it had been since they stopped talking almost half an hour ago. "You never were able to keep your mouth shut for long."

"I can when I need to but I don't think this is one of those times." Godric shot back, rubbing his young face with his fingers as he wished he could choke back the words forming in his throat but he couldn't do that. In the time when they had last talked, his thoughts had began to swirl and rise and the desire to talk about the past was getting harder and harder to push down. "I really think we should talk about what happened. It's been a long time and I think we should talk about the estrangement between us."

"Well I don't want to talk about it. And I thought I made that clear." Louie hissed, his lower jaw jutting out in annoyance as he turned and took a seat in his previously occupied chair. "You never were able to let things be. You always had to drag them back up just so you could make yourself feel better."

"This is not just about me, this is about you too." Godric protested, sitting back with his legs crossed and his hands tucked under his arms. "I really think we need to talk about this."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"I know it's not easy but we owe it to each other..."

"We owe each other shit, Godric. So just leave it alone already. I don't know why you have this constant need to talk about what happened."

"It's just something I need to do."

"Well I don't."

"But why?"

"Because it's too painful and I don't want to remember it."

"It's painful for me too, but I think its more painful the longer we don't talk about it." Godric said, feeling that long forgotten flame of sharpness rip through him and it took him a minute before he was able to speak again. "She wouldn't have wanted it this way. Helen would have hated to see us like this."

"I thought I told you not to say her name." Louie said quietly, dropping his eyes to the black carpet at his feet. "You just can't help yourself can you?"

"No, because I remember the promise we made to that young Faerie and even though a thousand years has gone by, I still eventually mean to hold true to it." Godric reminded him of that one night long ago when they had stood with the young Faerie named Helen under the dark of night and pledged a promise to her. She had always known what they were and how close they had been and she made them promise that no matter what happened between them, that they would remember their friendship and try their hardest to overcome any problem they had with each other. She had forced them to make this promise and they both had and at the time they always had faith that they could follow it to a t. But then her death came so swiftly and suddenly and the blame had been cast around to the both of them until neither could take the others presence for any longer. So they broke free of each other and went their separate ways, never crossing paths again until now when Godric brought up the old vow they had made to her. "Helen loved you and she loved me. She wouldn't want us to be the way we are now and I know you think the same way."

"She's gone, so I shouldn't have to make nice with you just because of a promise I made a thousand years ago." Louie spat out, but his eyes drifted, showing that he too was remembering that moment and after a while his face relaxed and he leaned over with his arms on his knees and his hands clasped together. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. But, I will help you by telling you what you want to know and I will only do that because it's what she would have wanted me to do and I still have enough respect for her to follow through. But do not bring up Helen again...don't ever bring her up or else this is it and you are on your own to deal with your own troubles."

"Fine...I won't ever mention her."

* * *

><p>"So explain to me why you need to learn more about the Faeries? What exactly brought this on?" Louie asked him some time later when they had both regained enough of their composure to talk about the real reason Godric was here.<p>

"Allison, as you know is a full blooded Fae and everyone who knew that always thought that she had one specific power and that was a mind reading ability. And that was her first power beside the light in her hands. But now it appears there may be a second power in the midst." Godric told him, pressing his lips together as he thought about the conversation he had with Isabel tonight. "You see, she had a nightmare that she had been kidnapped for a second time by the Fellowship and was being tortured by them for some reason. And then earlier tonight, I got a call from an old colleague who told me about how Allison's name was brought up amongst Newlin and the witches. And it just seems like too much of a coincidence that she has this nightmare and then have it brought to my attention that the Fellowship is planning to hunt her down again. So that's why I came here, to find out if its possible that this is another power in the making. I was always under the impression that the Fae were born with one specific power."

"That's what most people knew about them, but it's not entirely true. Most of the Fae do only have one other power besides that magical beam of light. But what you didn't know is that it is actually entirely possibly for a secondary power to suddenly come out. And that's what it sounds like is happening here with the Faerie you know." Louie explained, his hands clasped around his knee as he spoke in a calm even tone. "I spent a lot of time with the Faeries, I gained their trust because I never attacked them or even drank their blood when they offered it to me willingly. I think it was a test to see if I could be trusted and I passed because I slowly began to find out things that not many vampires or even humans knew about them."

"What kind of things?" Godric asked curiously.

"It is possible for a Faerie to have another ability that has been lying dormant for their whole life and from what you have told me about Allison, it seems like she possess an ability to see the future. But it hasn't been shown until now and there is a very important reason for that." Louie sat back in the armchair, his hands falling to his lap in a pale heap. "The secondary power usually only comes out in certain Faeries and when it does, it is usually because it is needed to be used as a weapon for survival. Because the only time a secondary ability arises is in the months before a horrific tragedy occurs."

"Tragedy...horrific...oh my god." Godric felt his entire body stiffen in a way it never had before and he could barely manage to get the words out that could be a possible indicator of Allison's future. "Does that mean she is going to die?"

"No, nothing like that is ever certain." Louie immediately cut in with a wave of his hand. "The emergence of this second power doesn't always mean death and it doesn't always directly involve the Faerie themselves. But it does mean something bad is going to happen. And that's why these second abilities come out, so the Fae have a fighting chance to protect themselves. But from what you say about Newlin and these witches, she's going to have to strengthen this power so she can use it to her advantage and keep herself safe, that is if this group does intend to attack. She might be able to see it in time to save herself."

"I knew it was too much of a coincidence to be nothing and now I know. And I have to get back and explain all this to her." Godric got to his feet almost instantly, already trying to work it out in his head of how he was going to tell Allison all this. He looked over at Louie, who was already by the door waiting for him to leave and Godric knew he had to say something. "Thank you for telling me this. I know it wasn't easy to remember that time and I'm grateful that you managed to tell me all this despite our rough beginning."

"It was the right thing to do." Louie answered blankly, his hand gripping the doorknob tightly. "There doesn't need to be another uncalled for Fae death in your lifetime."

"Are we ever going to be able to talk about it?" Godric asked, stopping on the doorstep and feeling the sting of his words. "Will we ever discuss what happened with Helen?"

"I don't know Godric. I just don't know." Louie shook his head and slammed the door, leaving Godric out in the dark night with a heaviness in his chest and a head full of answers.


	25. Hurt me twice

**Chapter 25 Hurt me twice**

"Who knew one reunion could bring up so much past pain?" Godric muttered to himself as he sat inside the car, driving along the empty highway back towards Shreveport and thought about those few hours with Louie and how they had reminded of how much darkness there was still in his past. No matter how much time went by or how much he changed, that time period would always be with him. And he shouldn't have been surprised.

Godric wasn't the same vampire he use to be, but he still should have known that when he showed up on Louie's front porch asking about the Faeries, that it was going to bring up a whole lot of unpleasantness from both their pasts. But he had been so focused on finding out information about Allison, that he hadn't allowed any memories from the last thousand years to enter his head. At least not until he and Louie were standing face to face and then he couldn't help but bring up Helen and what had happened with the three of them. And then all thoughts about his original mission had briefly gone out the window as he struggled to bring up the tragedy that neither of them had let go of. But Louie still felt that pain just as sharply as he did then and it was too much for him to talk about her death. And Godric knew that pushing on the subject was not going to get him any answers, which was why he had gone there in the first place. But luckily he had managed to reign in his thoughts and focus on the truth about Allison's mystical powers and to his shock, it had turned out to be true. Louie was the only who could confirm it because he was the one who had been privy to the Faeries most well kept secrets through his connection to Helen. Even though Godric too had spent time with the Fae, it wasn't nearly enough to gather the information that he needed now. And it was a miracle that he had been able to track down his former friend to find this out. Because if he hadn't, then Allison could have dismissed this nightmare as nothing and could have been in danger when this ability could be strengthened and used as a weapon. And now thanks to Louie, Godric could go back and explain all this to Allison.

"This is going to be a shock to her." Godric sighed as his hands gripped the steering wheel while he thought of the shock he was going to have to bestow upon Allison, who had no idea that anything was even going on.

It was going to be bad enough having to explain about a new power to her. She had been through enough in the past year with more then enough pain and surprises to last her a lifetime and she was probably under the impression that she knew everything there was to know about herself. But now he was going to have to tell her that there was just one more thing about her that she didn't know and he just hoped it wasn't going to upset her too badly. And if that wasn't the worse of it, he was going to have to explain that the reason for this new information was because there was now a threat coming from Steve Newlin, a man she had already faced down once before and who she may have to face again. It wasn't going to be an easy night, that was for sure. Which was why he needed help.

"Eric.." Godric had whipped his phone out of his pocket and had quickly dialed the number of his child, not even giving Eric a moment to say hello and immediately charged ahead. "We have a problem. And I need you to do something for me without question."

"You really think I can do that? You know me. I always have to ask questions." Eric replied, his voice already poised like he was going to star demanding answers the second he picked up the phone. But the tone Godric used was enough to freeze any protest in its tracks and Eric simply said. "What do you need?"

"Gather up Pam, Bill, Sookie and Allison and meet up at the Stackhouse home. I'll be there in 45 minutes, I'm on my way back and we all need to talk." Godric explained, passing the sign saying he was 15 miles from Shreveport and pressed his foot on the accelerator. "I have something to tell Allison and it would be better if everyone was together when this happened. In a way, it concerns all of us."

"Now you're making me worried." Eric growled, but underneath that tough edge to his voice, there was a hint of uneasiness as if he had been expecting something like this to happen. "Can you tell me something about what you found out? And where the hell were you this whole time?"

"No time for questions, I will explain it all when I get there. Just get everyone together at Allie and Sookie's. I will take care of the rest." Godric didn't give Eric a chance to respond and hung up, tossing the phone on the passenger seat as he focused his eyes on the road. By the time he got to Bon Temps everyone would be just getting there themselves and there wouldn't be time for any pleasantries. He had to jump into the explanation and hope that it went over well so they could start forming a plan.

"Oh this is going to be a tough one."

* * *

><p><em><span>40 minutes later<span>_

"Seriously, what is this about? Why are we all sitting around in the living room like we're about to give an intervention or something?" I demanded, looking around at the faces surrounding me as we all waited for something that I couldn't quite understand when we had gathered here in the first place. Eric was standing against the wall by the window, occasionally looking out into the yard as if he were expecting something bad because he wouldn't look at me. In fact, when he had shown up on the porch with Pam and Bill, he had barely said hello to me before they all walked into the house and took a seat, explaining that Godric was going to be here soon to talk to us. So I just sat in an armchair next to the sofa where Sookie was sitting with Bill and we just waited in silence until the sound of a gust of wind whipped into the yard and answered my question when the front door opened and in walked Godric with a grim look on his face. I was about to jump up and go to him, concerned because for the first time he had closed off our blood bond and that made me nervous. But Godric waved his hand, signaling that I should stay seated, which I did and watched as he strolled into the room and over to where Eric was standing, not looking at me either.

"Godric...what's going on?" Sookie was the first one to break the silence and speak up, voicing a question we all had been wondering for the past 20 minutes. "Why did we all need to meet here?"

"I needed to tell you all something and it would be easier if you were all in one place when I did it. There is a lot to talk about and lot to take in. And I only found out part of it last night." Godric explained,crossing his arms with his back towards the rest of us as he and Eric appeared to exchange looks showing they were having a private conversation through their eyes. "It's the reason I have been absent from the area since last night. I got a call from Isabel and I had to leave immediately to solve a potential problem. I needed to find answers and I found them, but none of it is good. And that's why I had everyone gather here tonight."

"I knew something was wrong." I said, sending a glare over at Eric but he didn't seem to be paying attention and the way he was looking down at Godric told me that he knew exactly what was going on. And that combined with Godric telling us that whatever he knew wasn't good, made an icy boulder drop down into my stomach and I was glad I was sitting alone because if anyone touched me right now, I would scream and I wasn't entirely sure why. But I was sure of the uneasiness that was settling in my chest and I looked at the 2,000 year old vampire and asked. "What exactly is involved in this nothing good thing?"

"I don't want to scare you." Godric answered in a low voice and I had this distinct impression that the reason behind this meeting had to do with me and that did not make me feel any better. "You have had enough hardships and I worry about what this will do to you."

"Well, I'm going to be scared until you tell me what the hell is going on." I frowned, not liking that he was refusing to look at me, showing that whatever it was had to be really bad if he couldn't look me in the eye. "Just tell me."

"Isabel has been keeping an eye on the Dallas area since I stepped down from my position of Sheriff and for a brief time, nothing was happening and all was well. Until recently when she began to take notice of whispers floating around and that's when she grew concerned and called me." Godric finally turned around, his eyes meeting mine for the first time and that brought up a rise of panic in my chest. Something was wrong, really wrong. Perhaps even more then when I tried to question Eric about it last night. And that was made obvious by what Godric said next. "Steve Newlin has been spotting with a coven of witches to combine strengths with the Fellowship."

"No." I said, shaking my head, not willing to believe any of it. It didn't seem that long ago when I had escaped their clutches and I had fought had to stay alive during my abduction. There was no way I was going to be anywhere near those crazy people again. And them joining forces with witches? No fucking way. "There's no way. You're making this up."

"Allie..." Sookie started to say, but a head shake from Bill silenced her as Godric started walking towards me.

"Allison I'm sorry, but your name was brought up amongst them. Isabel told me this when she called me last night. The spy she hired to infiltrate the Fellowship has heard your name numerous times in the past few days..." Godric sat down on the edge of the table in front of me and sighed. "Newlin and these witches seem to be focusing on you."

"No, no, no." I bit down on my bottom lip hard because I felt that familiar prickle that said I was close to crying and I heard a gust of wind fill my ears, signifying that Eric had left the room, unable to deal with my apparent tears. I looked up at Godric's face, seeing the pain in his eyes and sat back against the chair to lean away from him. I knew he was going to tell me even more bad things then this about Steve Newlin, and I just couldn't take it. Hearing that the Fellowship and the witches were after me, made me unable to hear any more. "Don't say anything..."

"That's not it." Godric reached and before I could pull away, he had grabbed both of my hands in his and held them tightly. "Allison, that's not all I have to say..."

"Godric, please." I felt my shoulders start to shake and it was a good thing Eric had left because the tears started falling down my cheeks rapidly but I couldn't wipe them away. "Godric don't tell me anything more.."

"I have to, it's important." He told me, rubbing his fingers across my knuckles. "You need to know this. It could end up being used to your advantage in the end."

"I don't care. I don't want to know anymore. I already know too much." I begged him, my lips quivering as I spoke. I didn't want to know anything more about myself. I didn't want my world to be turned upside down again. But it was about to because when I met Godric's eyes again, I saw that he was about to say it. "Godric..no."

"The problem with Newlin and these witches are not the only things I found out about you last night..."

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"Do you think one of us should go check on her?" Sookie asked the room full of vampires as she glanced towards the ceiling, wondering what it was that her cousin was thinking about right now since she had left them sitting here after hearing Godric's news. "She hasn't made a sound since she went upstairs."

"She's fine." Godric answered for them all, also looking upwards as if he could see through the ceiling and into the room. "I can feel through our bond that she's ok. She's upset, but she's calm for now."

"I feel it too." Eric spoke up from his corner where he had settled after Allison had stopped crying. He still looked uneasy, as if someone else was going to start sobbing and kept a guarded look on his face. "She will be ok."

"I hope so." Sookie muttered, wishing Allison hadn't heard what she did because seeing the younger girl's face as she was being told that her life was now being targeted was hard to deal with. Allie had enough pain in her life before tonight and now she had to anticipate more, it just wasn't fair. "I feel bad for her. No one should have to face what she is facing."

"If I could have kept it from her then I would have. But there was no way." Godric spoke up from side of the room. "If Newlin and these witches decide to lash out, then she needs to be prepared. And with her having the ability to have visions and possibly see what they are up to, that will work in her favor and we can protect her better."

"You did the right thing." Sookie assured him with a gentle smile. "You couldn't have kept this from her if you wanted to. She already knew something was wrong and she would have kept at it until she uncovered it. Besides, the last time we found out something about her and didn't tell her, well..it wasn't pretty. As much as it hurts her now, it would hurt more if we had tried to keep it secret."

"I just hate that this is happening." Godric looked down at the floor and tucked his hands under his arms.

"We all do." Bill muttered, looking just as bothered by this startling new turn as they all were.

When Godric had begun to speak, Sookie had tried to prepare herself that whatever was going to come out of his mouth couldn't be nearly as bad as what he had said about Newlin and the witches. And to her relief it wasn't bad, but that depended on how you looked at it. When Godric explained that he had gone to see this vampire he had use to know named Louie, who had spent time with the Faeries over a thousand years ago, Sookie didn't know where this was suppose to lead. After all, the big news had been about Newlin, so how did this relate? But apparently, there was the existence of a second power that some Faeries possessed in the months before a a tragedy happens that was suppose to give them a better shot at surviving. And then Godric went on to explain how the nightmare Allison had early that week wasn't just a nightmare or a coincidence. It was a foreshadowing of what Newlin and these witches had in store for her. This was her new power and this was why he had gone away for the past 36 hours, to find out the meaning and relation between the two incidents and he had. There was a part of Allison that she had never even known about and being told this, combined with the news of an impending attack, well it was enough to make silent teas fall down her face. And Sookie wanted desperately to walk over and hug her poor cousin who was looking like the air had been stolen from her lungs. But before anyone could move, Allison had simply stood and walked out of the room and up the staircase to the second floor, yelling back that she wanted to be alone. And then they heard the slam of her bedroom door and that was the last they had heard from her for the past half hour.

"I really think someone should just make sure she is ok." Sookie found herself breaking the silence with her suggestion. "She shouldn't be alone right now."

"Well I volunteer myself to go check on her." Pam held up her hand with a smirk, making her first statement all night. "I can be very comforting in my own way."

"And that's exactly why you are not going to be the one to look in on her." Eric hissed, his eyes lighting up in a possessive sort of way that made Sookie smile in satisfaction. Eric was keeping true to his word when he said he was serious about protecting Allison better this time around. Even if that meant picking a fight with his child. "You are so far from compassionate that its comical."

"Well you're not exactly good at that either, Eric." Pam shot back with a glare of her own. "Or do we need a reminder of your past actions?"

"Enough." Godric ordered, his commanding voice falling on both Pam and Eric and even though Pam wasn't his child, she still fell silent. "This isn't the time to be arguing like children. We have a more pressing matter at hand. So don't fight over who gets to check on that poor girl."

"He's right, you guys should just be focusing on Allison and not some petty argument." Sookie sided with Godric and shook her head with a sigh. "You know what? I will go check on ….."

"I'm fine you know. You don't need to check on me like I'm a child." Allison's voice came shouting from her room upstairs and even though they hadn't heard the door open, she was still heard very loud and clear. "I just need some time alone, thank you very much."

"Yea...uh..i think she's ok for now." Sookie couldn't help but giggle, rolling her eyes upward at the ceiling before turning to face the others. "She must have read my mind and knew what we were talking about."

"She would only yell at us like that if she truly was ok. She almost sounded amused." Eric observed with a devilish smile as if he had quickly felt relief and was now on the path to thinking inappropriate things. "Maybe we should force her to come down."

"No, we should let her do that on her own." Sookie shook her head, looking to Bill to back her up and he nodded to show he was on her side. "She won't hide for long."

"You sure about that?" Eric asked with a frown. "I mean, she did run off to Mystic Falls for 5 months."

"Oh Eric...shut the fuck up!"

* * *

><p><em><span>In Dallas<span>_

"So what is this about? Why has this meeting been called?" Steve Newlin asked as he walked through the doorway of his home office only to find the room surrounded by a handful of the witch coven he had been talking to for the past few weeks. "I assume that there is a specific reason for this?"

"Oh ….there is." The lead witch said, whose name he still didn't know because she refused to offer it out loud, stood up and waved him further into the room with a delighted smile. "My coven and I have been talking amongst ourselves and we came to a decision."

"And what would that be?" Steve raised his eyebrows as he moved along the side of his desk and took a seat, eager to know what it was they wanted to tell him. They all looked extremely happy so whatever it was, it had to be great.

"We decided...that we don't want to wait any longer in pursuing Allison Stackhouse. We want to strike and we want to strike hard. And soon." The witch said, folding her hands on the desktop. "We are going to put our plan into action tonight."

"How do you plan to do that if we're in Dallas and she's in Bon Temps?" Steve questioned, not at all sure about how this attack was going to work, but he did assume that they would need to be in the same city as each other if it was going to be successful. "Don't you need to be near her to do something?"

"That's the beauty of being a witch, you can hurt people without having to be anywhere near them." She said with a twitch of her fingers and another witch strolled forward and deposited something on the desk. "You see that there? That's a piece of the shirt she was wearing the last time she was here. And with this in our possession, we can use it to reach her without actually having to step foot in Louisiana."

"I'm liking where this is going." Steve found his lips curling upward into what he knew was a cheesy smile but he could care less. The mission he had been waiting to put into action was finally taking shape and he couldn't wait to see the damage it was going to create. It was that girl's own fault for filling her life with vampires in the first place. And it worked out that these witches wanted her anyway, and when he wanted to take revenge on her and those stupid night-walkers, they would be killing two birds with one stone. Literally. Steve turned to the lead witch and said. "You're doing good work here."

"That's nothing. Just wait until we actually perform the spell. Then you will be singing an entirely different tune." She cackled, fingering the torn clothing with her long fingers. "It's going to be fantastic."

"Oh I don't doubt that." Steve was overjoyed at this news. For the first time in months since the catastrophe of his last plan, he had been waiting in the shadows so he could try again to lash out at that girl for ruining everything. And now it was here that he could finally do something else. And he couldn't be more happy. He turned to the witch once more and asked. "What exactly does this spell entail?"

"Juts think of all the pain you have ever felt in your life...every injury...every broken bone...every moment your blood was spilt...and combine it all into one."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"So how are we going to do this?" Eric asked out loud to the 4 faces surrounding him in the kitchen, having command of the conversation now. "How are we suppose to help her strengthen this new power?"

"Well, the only way she can and that is to simply concentrate." Godric was the one to answer him back first thing, being that he had been the one to find out this new information himself. "She needs to focus all her attention on certain places or in this case, certain people. And over time, if she does it enough, it might make things more easier for her."

"Just like that?" Sookie asked from by the table, looking and sounding doubtful. "All she has to do is think about it and it will happen?"

"It won't always work, especially not in the beginning when she didn't even know she had this gift. But like I said, with enough practice it will develop." Godric explained with a sighed, not touching the bottle of blood sitting in front of him. "And she needs to strengthen this. She needs to know what is coming."

"Is it really that bad?" Eric found himself asking, needing it confirmed for himself ever since Godric had summoned him the night before. He knew it all sounded bad but the way Godric was speaking made him realize that his maker didn't even know the full story. "I mean, is it going to be worse then last time?"

"Much worse. And much harder to overcome." Godric sighed, rubbing his hands up and down his face. "It's not just humans we will have to contend with, it's witches. And we don't know how strong they are or what they can do. And we don't even know what they want."

"That's the worse part. We have to fight an enemy we don't know anything about and all we know is that they want Allison. But why?" Sookie questioned, looking around at them curiously. "Why would a bunch of witches want some human girl?"

"She's not human and that might be the reason for them wanting to capture her." Godric replied, getting up from his chair and directing his eyes towards the ceiling. "She must have something that they deem valuable to them or else they wouldn't bother."

"But what could that be?" Eric grumbled, struggling to understand why the woman he loved was now under the threat of an attack when she had done nothing wrong. "What do they want from her?"

"I wish I..." Godric tried to answer but his voice was cut off at the pass. But it wasn't from someone interrupting him or a noise coming from outside. It was the noise coming from upstairs. A noise they could all hear perfectly clear even without all of them having sharpened senses. No one could miss that chilling, blood curling scream crying out from the upstairs bedroom.

The cry of someone in pain. Allison's cry.


	26. Break Me

**Chapter 26 Break Me**

It hurt so bad that I could barely draw breath.

It was so sharp that any move made, only brought more pain that was harsher and more unbearable then before.

I couldn't help but squirm every second when the pain got worse and worse even though I knew moving was only going to make it worse. But it was my body's instinct to get away from the agony, even if it wouldn't help.

I felt a tightness in my chest, a rush of blood in my ears, a sharpness shooting up my spine. My heart was frenzied in it's desperate attempt to escape from me.

I thought I was going to die. It certainly felt like I was well on my way.

I almost didn't recognize the scream that was filling the air around me because it sounded so agonized and filled with the most gut wrenching pain imaginable. But it was me and it was my pain that was ripping through my insides and coming out in my voice as I cowered on the wood floor of my bed room where I had dropped the moment the pain hit me. It didn't come with any preview or warning. It just hit me out of nowhere. I was walking across the room, thinking I would go downstairs when all of a sudden that blinding pain filled my body and I felt my legs crumble underneath me. It stole every breath out of my body and it took every ounce of strength I had to keep breathing. But the shock of this sudden anguish was so severe that my strength was dwindling fast in those first few seconds. I wish I could have just lied still, but the pain hit me in every direction that I couldn't help arch my back in an attempt to find some relief, but there was none.

It felt like every bone in my body was breaking. I could feel my knee cap explode under my skin as if it were being shattered again. My ribs were cracking with the same aching throb as they had when I had been attacked in the parking lot all those months ago. My head was pounding with the power of a hundred migraines rolled into one and it made my vision unfocused and dizzy. I could see my skin turning dark purple and blue as a dozen bruises started popping up and taking over. It was like someone had flipped a switch and I was seeing every injury I had endured over the past year come back to attack me. And it wasn't just seeing it, it was relieving it as it had felt in the moment and I found my voice screaming out in agony again just as the door to the room burst open and I could just make out the outline of two bodies, one short and one tall.

"What's happening to her?" Eric's voice was the one to rise over my screaming and even though my vision was severely distorted, I could see see him partially as he knelt down on the floor next to me. "It looks like she's being attacked."

"Allison? Allison can you hear me?" Godric's voice floated down to me as I felt another spasm of pain explode through me and I bit down on my lip so hard that I could feel blood starting to trickle down my chin. "We're right here, we're going to help you."

I felt fingers touch my face, trying to turn my focus upwards but the touch was too much for me to take, and my entire frame started quivering as another cry escaped from my lips, a cry of undiluted pain and suffering. I knew they were Eric's hands and I knew he was only trying to comfort me, but it felt like even his gentle touch was breaking me even further and eventually he withdrew himself from me and I watched through blurry eyes as he sat back on his heels and looked at me. There were tears streaming down my face, making a puddle on the floor and just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. It only took a second before I felt it and when I did, I started hyperventilating. My eyes shot down to my arms and a shudder ran through me as I saw the numerous slashes opening up across my skin, mimicking the way they had appeared when Steve Newlin had cut me. The blood flowed immediately, staining my clothing and bringing on a hungry look in the eyes of the vampires that filled the room. But that was the last thing I could focus on because with the pain racketing through my body, my senses were going in and out.

"Sookie...control yourself. It will all be fine." It was Godric speaking, and Sookie must be somewhere nearby because I could make out her sobs. "I think I know what this is."

"What's happening to her? How are we suppose to help her?"

"Do you know a witch in town?"

"A witch? Why do you need a witch?"

"Because Allison's under a spell, it's the only explanation. And only another witch can save her. So if you know one, then go and seek her out. Or else Allison is not going to survive the night."

* * *

><p><em><span>7 minutes later<span>_

Sookie had barely put the car in park in front of Merlotte's before she was practically falling out of it and running towards the building. She didn't even take her keys out of the ignition and just left it there as she bypassed a group of people heading in, bumping into them as she pushed her way through. She would have stopped and apologized on any other given night, but she was on a mission and she couldn't stop on account of manners. Not when Allie's life was on the line. So when she burst through the door, she had to pause to look around the main floor hoping to spot the woman in question. But it wasn't all that busy so there were no waitresses in sight, only Sam behind the bar who was watching her with a concerned frown.

"Sookie, what's wrong? Why do you look so frantic?" Sam threw down the pile of receipts he had been holding and came around the side of the counter towards her. "What happened?"

"Uh...uh...um..." Sookie swallowed hard, trying to force herself to breathe normally which she hadn't really been able to do since she tore out of the house and now it was making her dizzy.

"Whoa, whoa." Sam's hands caught her from stumbling which she hadn't even realized she had been close to doing. "You need to sit down and talk to me."

"I don't...I don't have time to calm down. Calming down is dangerous. I have to stay on the move." She pushed his hands away and frantically looked around. "Is she here? I tried calling her but she wasn't picking up."

"Who are you talking about? And what the hell is going on?" Sam demanded, stepping forward to touch her again but she moved away and headed towards the back hallway. "Sookie, wait.."

"I can't wait Sam. I have to find her." Sookie ran into the door frame in her rushed attempt to get to the back of the bar, but the pain in her shoulder barely registered as her eyes flew across the empty space. "Is Holly here? I need to talk..."

"Did someone say my name?" The woman that Sookie had been so desperate to find just walked in from the outside, carrying a box of dinner rolls and stopped just inside the door with a tilt of her head. "Sookie, you look upset. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but I need your help." Sookie darted forward, not caring that she looked crazy and tugged the box out of Holly's arms and tossed it on a nearby table. "You're the only one who can help me, so you have to come quickly."

"Come where?" Holly asked, stumbling forward as Sookie grabbed her by the elbow and started pulling her towards the doorway. "What's happening?"

"Sam, can I borrow her?" Sookie asked, taking a second's pause to look at her boss for an answer and Sam looked so confused by all this that it took him another few seconds before he was able to open his mouth and speak.

"I guess so..." Sam's voice trailed off as she heard all she needed to hear and yanked Holly to the front door with the older woman offering no resistance as if she somehow knew that something serious was going on and didn't want to delay it any longer. Sookie pulled her out the door and down the steps into the quiet parking lot and then over to her car before she let the woman go and turned to look at her with her lips shaking and a hard lump in her throat.

"Holly, I need you to come with me back to my house. My cousin, she's..." Sookie felt her voice freeze as she remembered the agonized look in Allison's face when she had left the room less then 10 minutes ago and she shuddered at the thought of her poor cousin withering in pain on the floor while everyone else was helpless. But not Holly, Holly could help her. "..She's under some kind of pain spell and she needs help. So please, come with me."

"Ok." Holly just nodded and walked around the side of the car to get into the passenger seat while Sookie ripped open the door and dove behind the wheel and flipped the keys, desperate to get back to the house as soon as possible.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back at the Stackhouse home<span>_

"I can't take this. I want to run. I don't want to stay here." Eric stood against the wall with his arms crossed as he fought against himself to go over to the whimpering girl convulsing on the floor in front of him, but he knew he couldn't touch her. He had learned that any touch from him or Godric pained her and only brought her more suffering. So as much as it killed him to step away and not hold her, he had to do just that and stand there on the other side of the room, just watching her eyes roll around in panic as she fought against the pain attacking her. It was pure torture having to restrain himself from the woman he loved when he wanted nothing more then to gather her in his arms and tell her it was going to be alright, but he didn't know if it would be.

From the moment he and Godric had entered that room after hearing that chilling scream of pain, he knew it was bad. And seeing it played out in front of his eyes was enough to make him feel like he was experiencing it for himself. Her body had become so battered and bruised and broken in a matter of minutes that it was a miracle that she was even still breathing. After Sookie had left, Eric had stepped forward again, despite Godric's protests and had tried to give Allison his blood to replenish the blood that she was rapidly losing but she wouldn't take it and even flinched away from him when he reached out to her. She was suffering so greatly that it took all he had not to jump out the window and take off into the night. The only other time he felt like this was after he had rescued her from the Church and brought her back to the hotel to heal her. At least then he had been able to do something. But now he was forced to stand back and watch all her old injuries resurface like some invisible enemy was breaking her body apart bit by bit. At least in the church he could have fought back. But this...this he couldn't fight.

"It's going to be alright, Eric. She will be ok." Godric's voice broke through his cloud of thoughts, bringing him back to the present and he found his maker staring at him with calming eyes. "It looks bad now, but it will be over soon. It won't be long now."

"I can't bear this. I just can't." Eric hissed, his eyes drifting back towards the shaking form of Allison, who was no longer screaming out in pain, but was now just curled up in the pool of her blood, her eyes glazed over and a whimper escaping her lips occasionally. Every muscle was tight and full of tension, showing she was still in a great deal of pain, but she looked to have given up on the will to move or make too much of a sound. It was her eyes that told him everything and he had to break the stare to gather himself. "I can't stand to watch her in pain and know I can't do anything about it."

"Trust me, I know exactly how you are feeling." Godric placed his hand on his shoulder and for the first time that night Eric realized how much this was having an effect on his maker. He had forgotten about the deep blood bond Godric shared with Allison and how he felt her emotions even more clearly then Eric did. So he was probably having just as hard a time of dealing with this as he was. But Godric was able to remain more calm. "I know this pains you my child, it pains me too. But this is out of our control."

"I hate it." Eric snapped, shrugging off his maker's hand just as the sound of running feet entered his ears and it wasn't long before two pairs of feet were hurrying up the stairs and over to the open door. Eric watched as Sookie burst into the room, looking frantic and her eyes immediately drawn to Allison's shaking body. And he couldn't help what came out of his mouth. "You couldn't get here faster? She's dying and you were slow as fuck."

"Eric! Be silent." Godric ordered, moving in front of him as if he knew that Eric was on the verge of lashing out at any second.

"Eric, shut the fuck up and let Holly do whatever she needs to do." Sookie shot back, motioning to an older looking woman who must have been the witch she had gone off to bring back and this Holly stepped forward with her eyes wide as she took in the damage in front of her.

"The Pain Memory spell." She spoke, her head shaking in disgust as Allison whimpered again, her breathing heavy and unsteady as they all watched her. "A spell designed to make a person feel the pain of every injury or attack they have ever endured. What kind of witch would make someone suffer like this?"

Holly then went silent and walked passed them all until she reached Allison and knelt down on her knees beside the still convulsing girl. And before Eric could yell at her not to, Holly grabbed both of Allison hands in her own, bringing on a scream that shot right through him and make him shake with anger. He watched as Holly placed her other hand on Allison's forehead, and there went an even more heartbreaking cry that made Eric want to throw that woman away from Allison and he would have done that if it hadn't been for Godric grabbing him and pushing him back against the wall while Allison continued to cry. Holly seemed to not even hear this and they could all hear her start to utter some kind of ancient language that neither him nor Godric knew. She must have been casting a counter spell because her hands never left Allison's despite the cries and thrashing the brunette was doing, and her eyes were practically staring a hole through her. And for a while, it seemed like it wasn't doing any good because Allison was just in as much pain as she had been before. But then in the tiniest fraction of a second, there was a change. Allison's body started to slowly return to normal as if the pain was being drawn out out of her. The cuts on her arms closed and began to erase themselves until they were no longer there. The bruises that had colored her skin were now lightening up and fading away as was the swelling in her knee and ankle. Her muscles gradually released until they became loose and relaxed. And then suddenly she let out a small gasp and went completely still, her eyes closing as if she were asleep.

"It's over, she's going to be alright." Holly smiled in satisfaction, getting to her feet after patting Allison's hair gently as if she were a child. And then she turned to look at them all. "She unconscious, but she's no longer in pain. But if you're willing, you can give her blood to speed up the recovery. Her body will accept it and she will wake up faster."

"Thank you." Godric was the first one of them to speak out, stepping forward to take Holly hand in his own. "Thank you fro coming to save her."

"I didn't really save her, I just counteracted the spell and made it impossible for this to happen again. I wouldn't call that saving her life." Holly replied modestly but Godric and Sookie wouldn't hear of it.

"Yes, you did save her life. If you hadn't done the spell then she would have died because she wouldn't take the blood before you got here." Godric insisted, looking back at Allison who appeared to be sleeping and he sighed. "She's going to be ok because of you."

"He's right, she will live because of what you did. So thank you a million times over." Sookie said, looking weary as she spoke. "Thank you for saving her."

"It's not a big deal. Just make sure she gets some blood in her to heal the remaining parts of her injuries. And let me know if you need anything else." Holly told them, heading to the door while Eric finally got the courage to move forward with his wrist at his mouth as he bit into it.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, Holly? Can I talk to you for a second?" Godric found himself calling out to the woman as he stepped out onto the front porch and caught sight of her heading down the driveway towards the street before she stopped and turned around. He rushed forward, wanting to speak to her one more time before she left and when he was standing in front of her, he was expecting her to look nervous or suspicious as most witches were around vampires. But she was looking at him as if he were like any other human and that made what he had to say all the more easier. It was easier to have a conversation when the other person wasn't terrified of what you were. "I just wanted to thank you again for what you did. If it hadn't been for you then I don't know what any of us would have done to help her. And I'm fairly certain that she would have died tonight without you performing that spell, so thank you."<p>

"Like I said it was no big deal. I was just doing what I knew how to do." Holly shrugged again, not willing to accept any credit for what she had done and she twisted her long fingers around her dirty blonde hair as she looked at him curiously. "How did you know what kind of spell it was? Sookie told me on the drive here that you seemed to have known what was going on. So how did you know?"

"I've encountered witches before in my very long lifetime." Godric muttered, his thoughts clicking back to a few years ago when he had met the very witch who had cursed his soul and sentenced him to a life in that dark tomb without any hope of getting out. He had since then been unwilling to think that any witch could possibly be different. But after seeing Holly save Allison tonight, he was forced to rethink his opinion on these beings. "And I believe you're the first witch I have met who has used her skills for good."

"I'm not like most witches who practice the magical arts. And I don't use my power to bring pain down upon anyone, its more like a religion to me then anything else and I cherish it because I believe it could be a wondrous thing." Holly explained with a sigh, looking slightly disappointed that anyone would taint this way of living for her. "I don't understand any witch who could use that kind of spell on someone. It goes against nature to do something like that. Anything you send out, the universe will return to it to you threefold. I just don't get what kind of witches would target a young girl like this."

"It was a calculated attack, set forth by Steve Newlin and a coven out in Dallas." Godric explained, feeling like he owed her some kind of reasoning for why her power was needed tonight. "He has been targeting her since last year and I had just gotten wind that he was joining up with this coven to come after her again. And I suppose this was the first part of their plan. Attacking her from afar."

"Why would they do that?" Holly questioned, her pink lips curving downward in a frown as her forehwad wrinkled in disgust. "Why would a bunch of witches be trying to hurt her for what seems like no reason at all?"

"I have been trying to answer that for myself and i just don't know." Godric wished he did have the answer but he didn't and it nearly killed him not to know. He usually always knew eveyrthing. "I mean, they are wicthes and have the power to get anything they want. So what is it about Allison that has them so fascinated and focused on her?"

"I know enough about the world to know that she isn't entirely human and that may be why she is being attacked." Holly offered in explanation, shrugging her dainty shoulders through her uniform. "I mean, think about it. She's a Faerie, she has alot of power if the stories are true about the Fae, so of course she would be targeted by witches. Why does any supernatural being attack another? It's all about power."

"You think that's it?" Godric asked, a frowning filling his face as he looked back towards the house where he could sense his child still feeding Allison blood before he looked back at Holly. "You think they want her power? That's why they are doing this?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense to me. Or at least explains why she would be focused on." Holly said, pressing her lips together in a tight line. "She posses a lot of power, I felt that when we connected when I was lifting the spell they cast on her. And that power is very intoxicating to a witch, so i suspect they are doing this to try and get some of that power."

"How are they going to do that?" Godric demanded, horrified of this possible new developement and what it could eman to their lives. "I mean, they can't just take it from her right? And if they think they can, how are they going to do it since you broke their spell?"

"I don't know, but I suspect it won't be pleasant when they figure it out."

**A/N: This is the last chapter for this week. I'm heading to Seaside Heights tomorrow night with my friends and i wont be back till Saturday. So i hope this satisfies you until then. And remember to review or else i wont be as quick with my updates. I have a lot of great stuff in store so if you want to read it then let know. I will be writting on my vacation so stayed tuned for more craziness**


	27. Making Plans

**Chapter 27 Making Plans**

"Come on ...wake up little girl."

I could feel cool fingers sliding through my long hair as I laid in what I assumed was my bed. My eyes were shut and all I could see was black, but I must have been conscious because I could make out the voice speaking to me and I knew it was Eric who was running his hand through my hair and I wanted to desperately open my eyes and assure him that I was alright and that I was still there, but my eyelids felt too heavy to even move. And when I tried to open them, I began to feel the soreness my body had gone through and I felt a wave of exhaustion rush over me and I felt the intense desire to sleep again.

"I know you're in there. Just open your beautiful eyes and look at me."

His fingers drifted across my cheek,causing a slight shiver to go through my veins and I knew he felt it because our bond was freely open at this point and I could sense an upsurge of joy as soon as I reacted to his touch. I felt his fingers brush over my lips and I so badly wanted to open my mouth but I couldn't find the will just yet. I felt like I needed more time before I could come back to the present. And I hope I did soon. This darkness scared me and I just wanted to see a friendly face. And Eric was so close by. If only I could just open my damn eyes.

"I can feel you struggle, so I know you are ok. But I really need you to try and wake up. I hate seeing you like this."

The pain in his voice tore through me as if it were my own anguish he was voicing and I wanted to cry. I actually could feel my breathing get heavy as a result of this and Eric's hand instantly tightened over my wrist, having felt my rush of emotion and he began rubbing circles on my skin as he always did when he was trying to comfort me. I wanted to wake up and be the one to comfort him, he shouldn't be feeling this way. It wasn't fair. He had done nothing to deserve it and I just wanted more then anything to see his blue eyes looking down at me...

"I'm right here Allison...I love you as much as I know how to love anyone besides myself...and I'm not going anywhere..."

Hearing his declaration of love for me was the very thing that gave me the strength to force open my eyes and take in the sight of the hunched over vampire sitting on a chair next to my bed looking more like a human then he ever had before. But as soon as he became aware of the fact that I was looking back at him, he became that vampire again and shot up faster until he became a blur and was now hovering over me, our faces nearly touching. It was like he needed to be right there to assure himself that I was awake and it hadn't been just a figment of his imagination. And it wasn't, I was awake and completely aware of my surroundings and even more aware of the aching in my body from what had happened and I felt my eyelids flutter briefly, wanting to close again, but I kept them open and I saw the relief on his face when I stirred in his direction.

"Well, it's about damn time. I thought you were going to keep me waiting." Eric said, his grip loosening on my wrist before his hands quickly grabbed my face and he planted the longest and most passionate kiss on my mouth, nearly stealing the breath from my very lungs. I didn't have the strength to lift my arms and wrap them around him, but I was able to kiss him back so he knew it was all ok. And as the kiss went on, I felt a warmth inside of my chest start to grow and I began to feel like my old self. It didn't mean I didn't still feel the after effects of whatever it was that had occurred, but I didn't feel as detached as I had. By the time Eric pulled back from me, I could see the smile starting to tug across his pale lips. His fingers brushed across my cheeks before he said. "Say something...say anything...but let me know you are still there.."

"Was...was all that pain my punishment for not automatically agreeing to move in with you?" I asked, my voice sounding weak and hoarse but my statement brought on a smirk to Eric's face and he looked more like the vampire I had fallen in love with. I could hear his laugh as he helped me sit up before he sat on the edge of the bed in front of me, watching me with observing eyes.

"The fact that you said something like that is proof that you're going to be alright." Eric shook his head, a sparkle in his eyes that made me smile, filling me with a tiny flame of strength that had been missing for God only knows how long. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I think. Sore and really tired, but I'm not in pain and that's a good thing." I replied, stretching my arms out slowly, expecting to see scars and bruising on my limbs from the damage I had seen happen to me before I blacked out. But there was none. In fact, my skin looked just as perfect as it had my whole life and that could only mean one thing, that Eric had given me his blood. Only vampire blood could possibly have healed me from the massive amount of injuries I had received in a matter of minutes. I smiled gratefully at Eric but something didn't quite fit and I had to find out. "What the hell happened to me?"

"You were under a spell, a pain spell to be exact. It was forcing you to relive all the physical harm your body has ever been through in your life. And that's why it hit you so suddenly, we heard your scream out of no where and it was Godric who knew it had to have been a spell. Those witches must have thrown the first punch by doing this." Eric's eyes grew dark as he explained this, his hands clenching into fists on my bedspread and I could hear tearing as he began to speak again. "And he sent Sookie out to find a witch to break this spell and she came back here with your cousin and it must have worked because you stopped convulsing and you went still, long enough for me to give you blood to heal your injuries and speed up the recovery process."

"Oh wow. That's...crazy." I couldn't find any other word to describe the situation and when the door opened just then, I didn't have a chance to come up with anything better, because I was able to make out a blonde head peeking around the corner and I instantly felt my smile brighten as the figure pushed itself into the room. "Sookie!"

"Oh thank God you are ok, I was so damn worried." Sookie called out, rushing across the room before enveloping me in a hug, holding me tightly against her since I couldn't quite do it myself. "I know Holly said you were going to be ok, but when you didn't wake up right away..."

"Holly? Holly was the one who saved me?" I asked when she and I had pulled away from each other and I had glanced at Eric on the other side of me. "She performed the spell?"

"Yes, I ran to the bar because I knew she was working tonight and I dragged her back here. I don't know what she was saying, but she muttered some kind of counter spell and it worked and she said you were ok." Sookie told me, placing her hands over my smaller ones and squeezed them. "Are you ok? How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore, but not in pain. Thanks to Holly, I will have to thank her when I get the chance." I said, thinking of the older woman who I had spent some time around when I was working at Merlotte's and even though I knew she was a witch, I didn't think she could possibly have the power to lift the spell I was under. I was in a lot of pain so it had to have been a powerful spell. "But seriously, even with her saving me, I'm still not a fan of witches. I have had enough encounters with them already and I get the feeling that this is not the last of it."

"We'll see about that." Eric muttered, his face clouding over with an expression I couldn't read and our blood bond was suddenly closed off, telling me he didn't want me to know what he was feeling. He stood up and leaned over to touch my face before he turned to Sookie and said. "Stay with her, I need to speak with Godric. But I won't be gone long."

"Eric, what are..." I began to ask, but he quickly silenced me by pressing his lips softly against my own and then pulling back before I could enjoy it for too long. He stood up to his full height and clenched his hands. " I will be back very soon."

And then he was gone in a flash, leaving the door open in his wake and Sookie and I could both hear the front door opening and them slamming shut within just a few seconds, signifying that Eric had indeed left the house but I could tell by the light footsteps on the floor downstairs, that we weren't alone and it was most likely Bill that was watching over us. I felt a rush of relief, even though I knew that it had been a spell and not physical force that had hurt me, it was still nice to know that there was someone nearby.

"So you really are ok?" Sookie asked, breaking the silence in Eric's departure and I turned to focus my eyes on her still worried face. "No lasting pain anywhere?"

"No just general soreness, I promise you." I said honestly, feeling the ache in my muscles, but it was nothing compared to the pain I had been in not that long ago. "But I won't lie, I was scared."

"I was too and so was everyone else. We didn't know what to do and anytime we touched you, you just screamed more. So we couldn't even comfort you, we just had to stand by and do nothing until Holly lifted the spell. And then everything kind of just was a blur from there until now." Sookie said, biting on her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you. You never seem to get a chance to just breathe."

"Yea, I'm sorry too."

* * *

><p>"You need to calm down. This state of mind you're in is just going to invite trouble." Godric said to him outside in the yard as Eric stormed past him in his fury as he had been doing for the past 20 minutes since leaving Allison with Sookie upstairs in the house. But instead of immediately talking, Eric had found himself unable to stop his anger long enough to speak to his maker as he had planned on doing and instead had taken to whipping back and forth across the grass until Godric had finally stepped in and broken the silence. "I know you're upset..."<p>

"Upset? Upset? I am not upset Godric! I'm fucking pissed off is what I am!" Eric exclaimed, stopping long enough to send his maker a glare for using the wrong word to describe what he was feeling and stood there, ready to rip a tree root out of the ground and throw it down to the road. "How dare those witches fucking attack her like that? She didn't do anything to them and they almost killed her with that god damn spell."

"I know, I know. I'm furious as well, but you need to remain calm as the situation is at a standstill for the moment and being at the mercy of your emotions is not going to help anything." Godric told him, standing in the same spot as where Eric had found him and crossed his arms with a calm look of serenity in his young face. "Allison is alright and she needs you to remain by her side until we figure out what to do. You can't go storming off because you are blinded by your anger. What if something else happens and you weren't here? You would hate yourself forever. I know you want to..."

"I will tell you what I want to do. I want to hunt them down and kill every last one of them." Eric whirled around, facing the two thousand year old vampire and drew his eyebrows down as fury coursed through his blood. He was glad he had closed off the bond to Allison, he didn't want her to feel this hatred and violence he felt towards their unseen enemies. She had already been through enough for one night and she did not need to be worrying about his short fuse that was already quickly burning. "These witches are not going to stop until they get whatever it is that they want from her. So I say we get them before they get her, or any of us."

"We're going to do that Eric, I promise you we will. I don't want any harm to come to Allison or anyone that we know and at some point we will have to come face to face with these witches. So you will be able to take your fury out on them. But that time is not right now." Godric explained, calming him with the promise that they would exact their revenge in the near future, but still furious that they couldn't go and do it right now. "Our main focus right now has to be in keeping her safe and finding out exactly what they want. If we know what they want, we can better protect her and it will be easier for us to devise a plan to get them to come to us so we can kill them."

"I want to kill them so badly." Eric hissed, looking off into the distance, almost wishing they would appear so he could rip some heads off, but there was nothing to see for miles. "You have no idea."

"I think I do, Allison means a great deal to me as well and I would lay down my life to protect her just as you would do the same." Godric looked back at the house, seeing the light shining in the second floor bedroom and he smiled briefly. "There will be a time when we will battle these witches, that is inevitable and I think ever since this problem came to light I always knew it would end up in a war. But we can't act off emotion or else someone is going to get hurt, or worse."

"I get it, I get it. We have to be smart about it, is what you're saying." Eric grumbled, not liking it at all because his instincts were telling him to take to the sky at that very moment to fly to Dallas and sniff our this coven who had tried to take away the love of his life. His actions had been that way for as long as he had been a vampire and ever since Allison had become a crucial part of his life, he found himself reacting even more strongly and out of control then he did before. When her life was on the line, no reaction was too strong or too violent. He had made a promise to her to protect her and he had every intention of following through on that, especially if it meant killing the bastards who had done this to her. But Godric was right in what he said, they would only invite trouble if they acted in the heat of the moment, it would just end up getting them all killed. If he really wanted to avenge Allison, he would have to cool his anger and think more clearly. They could only protect her by somehow finding out why she was a target in the first place. If they knew that, then they might be able to use it to get those witches in their clutches long enough to slaughter them all. Then maybe he and Allison could find some peace together. He look at Godric who was waiting for him to speak again and he relaxed his tense shoulders. "Alright, I won't do anything stupid until you give me permission."

"It won't be long Eric until we get our hands on them. Just be patient."

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"Godric? Are you ok?" The tiny little voice asked him as he stood by the window and looked down into the yard where he had left his child, but his attention was drawn to the figure sitting on the edge of the bed who was asking for his focus and he was happy to give it. His eyes went to Allison's face and he smiled at her despite the worried expression she wore. "You haven't said anything since you came up here. I just want to make sure you are alright."

"I should be asking you that and not the other way around." Godric pointed out, stepping away from the glass and walking over to the chair that he had pulled close to the bed earlier and sat down. "You were in quite a lot of pain, I could feel it through our bond and I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you."

"It was horrible and scary and I never want to feel even a fraction of that pain ever again. Even now I can still feel aftershocks of it and that's bad enough." Allison told him, her tiny body shuddering with the memory of it and he too found himself freezing for a moment, remembering it all too vividly before she brought them both out of it. "I was terrified that I was going to die or if not die, then be unconscious until my body gave out on me."

"You're a faerie, you won't die quite that easily I assure you." Godric made sure she knew that because it was the truth. Even though she wasn't a vampire and wouldn't live forever, she was still going to have a much longer life then any other supernatural creature that existed. And it was important that she remembered that, knowing that she couldn't die easily would be empowering and would keep her alive that much longer. And with these witches on the hunt for her, that was essential. "But nonetheless, I still think we need to exercise more caution from now on. At least until we can put an end to this attack."

"You really think they will strike again?" She asked, a nervous frown passing through her features. "As badly as they did this time?"

"I don't know because we have no idea what they want or where they are. For all we know, they could have moved on from Dallas so we couldn't track them. They could be anywhere. And that means we have to be on our most alert." Godric stated, running his fingers through his short brown hair and watched as she did the same to her long hair. "But if they are heading anywhere near you, we need to put tighter protection on you. They will figure out where you live and they may send more then just spells after you. These witches could be teaming up with more then just the Fellowship, so we need to be ready for anything. Even if that means setting guards on you at all times."

"You know what? I think I already have a full time guard." Allison spoke up quietly, looking down at her feet rapidly but Godric didn't miss the ghost of a blush crossing her face.

"What do you mean by that?" He questioned, wondering what it was that was having her heartbeat increase so quickly in just a few seconds.

"Well uh...um...you see, Eric asked me to move in with him." She said quickly, as if saying the words slowly would somehow taint what she had to say. "At first I said no because I felt like he was just asking out of obligation to protect me and I didn't want it to be about that. Stuff like that means something to me and I wouldn't want to do it unless it was the right time and for the right reason. But with what has happened so far and what you think may still happen, it makes me think I need to reconsider."

"Wait a second. You're going to move in with Eric? In his house? As in live together?" Godric could hear the immense shock in his voice, never imagining that his progeny would ever be involved with someone to the point where he would ask them to move in for whatever reason. And with everything Eric and Allie had been through in the past year, it was hard to believe that those two would get to this kind of level, even if it was just a matter of protecting her. "Does he know?"

"Not yet. I plan to talk to him later tonight about it once everything has calmed down. But yea, I'm going to agree to it." Allison nodded with her lips pressed together nervously. "I mean, I'm not entirely ready for this but if I live with him, I will be under his protection at all times. And if these witches send other creatures after me, then they won't know where I am and that's good. So this will be a very good thing. Even if it isn't for all the right reasons."

"Oh trust me, I don't think it is just out of obligation." Godric replied with a smirk, remembering the comment Eric had made to him about marriage in the future but he kept quiet about that to Allison. "Eric loves you and I think this would have been a natural step for you two even if there was no threat."

"Really? You think so?"

"I know so."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

_I could smell smoke all around me in that large clearing but I couldn't see where it was coming from and I couldn't even see evidence of it anywhere. But I knew it was there, my senses weren't lying to me. I trusted them and I knew at some point that the image would appear to me just like I knew there would be a figure that belonged to the voice that was speaking to me._

_"Aw, what's the matter little Faerie? Is it too much for you to take?" A high pitched voice asked me and I twitched my head to the side, hearing footsteps coming out of the dark treeline to my left and sure enough I could just make out a tall body coming towards me and by the sounds of the steps, I knew it was female. I couldn't see her face because she kept just far away enough so I couldn't identify her but her voice came at me loud and clear. "They say you were strong, but you seem awfully weak to me."_

_"I'm not weak and you're a coward for attacking me from afar." I snapped back, trying to follow her voice so I could keep my eyes on her moving figure. "Only a coward would hide in the distance and try and attack."_

_"Well I'm not hiding now am I?" The witch cackled at me, sounding more devious and dark then before and I could tell something bad was going to happen. And that was made obvious when I heard her shuffling something on the ground, like she was gathering up leaves and sticks and forming them into a circle around me._

_"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my best attempts at sounding strong. I tried to read her mind, but she was shielding me too much for me to get even the slightest idea of what was going on. _

_"Oh come on, you can't be that dense. I know you smelt the smoke." She hissed and the sound of clicking filled the air before I saw a flash of orange and the sight of a tiny flame made me freeze. I should have run for the trees to make an escape, but I had the feeling that running would end up with something even worse happening to me. I was trapped and we both knew it. "I will give you one last chance to give me what I want. And maybe I will let you die peacefully instead of forcing you to endure more torture."_

_"I don't know what you want from me." I cried out in frustration, grabbing my hair tightly. "And even if I did, I would never give it to you."_

_"You sure about that?" She asked evilly before I saw the flame move down to the ground and drop until it caught whatever it was that surrounded me and all of a sudden, a circle of fire lit up around me keeping me from making an escape even if I wanted to. _

_I could hear her start to chant but I couldn't tell what words were coming out of her mouth because it was in a language I couldn't identify. But I could see what it was that she was doing with this spell and pretty soon I could feel the heat from the fire starting to warm my skin as it flickered closer. I instantly started turning around, looking for the shortest wall of flames that perhaps I could jump over. But there was no point that was lower then the rest. The fire was all equal height and the longer she chanted, the closer they seemed to grow to me. I tucked my long hair in front of me so it wouldn't blow and be caught in the flames and then I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep my small body tinier then it was. But it was in vain because the fire kept on closing in on me until I felt like my insides were beginning to cook from the heat. It finally dawned on me that this was what had been planned all along, that I was drawn out here to die on this cold and dark night. And as the flames danced closer, I silently began to pray that my loved ones would find a way to go on without me. I was just seeing Eric's face flash before my eyes before the flames rose up and engulfed me entirely..._

"No!" I was jolted awake suddenly, the dream or vision leaving my head just as quickly as I shot up in my bed my hands instantly slapping at my body to put out the fire that I had just seem overtake me, but there was nothing in sight except for the appearance of the vampire who instantly shot to my side protectively.

"What is it?" Eric demanded, grabbing my flailing wrists to hold me still as our eyes met and he tried to see if what had awoken me was anything related to what had already happened that night. "Are you in pain again? Do you need anything?"

"No, no I'm fine, just a ...a bad dream. About the witches and what happened." I stuttered, knowing that it was a bad idea to lie to him when I was fairly certain that this had been another vision. But I was already so freaked out and drained by the night's events that I couldn't bring myself to divulge this little bit of information. It was too much to even think about saying out loud and already I found myself shuddering at the thought of having to do it.

"Are you crying?" Eric's hand went under my chin and lifted my face up to meet his and I saw his pale features darken into a frown. "You're scared aren't you?"

"I can't help it, I'm afraid that what happened tonight wasn't the worse of it. I'm afraid of what else there is to come." I admitted, thinking about the vision and how the future was going to somehow contain the use of fire to get at me. It made me pull closer to Eric and reach for his arms. "Just hold me so I know it will all be alright."

"It will be alright, I can say that for certain because eventually I will hunt down every one of those witches and make them pay for how they have hurt you." Eric hissed, his voice getting as dark as his frown as he pulled me into his lap and settled my head on his chest, holding me tight to him. "You won't get hurt again. I will protect you all the time. You will barely ever get out of my sight. There will be no opportunity for them to get to you. I will make sure of it."

"I just want this to end...i want a chance to be able to breathe." I murmured against his neck, my small hands clutching his dark clothing. "I haven't had a moment of peace since I came back. And even before all this, it was never smooth sailing. Will it ever be like that?"

"I don't know, but I definitely hope for it."


	28. And it burns

**Chapter 28 And it burns**

_Two weeks later_

I don't know how it happened, but 14 days and nights passed without any trouble whatsoever from Steve Newlin or the witches. In fact, everything seemed perfect and normal and I was happy. I don't know how or why there was nothing to be seen or heard from our enemies, but for the moment everything was calm and I was grateful for it.

The past two weeks had been stressful for a variety of reasons. And mostly because after everything that had happened so far, I was just waiting for something else to strike at me. But nothing ever did. It almost seemed like this coven had given up because there was no news of their next plan or any talk about them at all, according to Godric and Isabel. And no visions either to alert me to something bad. I should have enjoyed it more then I did, knowing it wasn't often that my head and life were quiet. Things were never calm in my world for more then just a few days and here it was, an entire two weeks with no trouble at all. That made me suspicious and I remained tense for that first 10 days just waiting for the other ax to fall. Nothing had stopped Newlin and the witches before so something had to be going on for them to be taking this long to make their presence known. But as I said, there was nothing to elude to another attack so I gradually began to relax and ease up on my sharp alertness, which Eric greatly appreciated. He hadn't left my side more then a handful of times because he wanted to remain true to his word that he would protect me and he had tried his hardest to keep things as normal as possible which wasn't easy with me basically walking around and flinching at the slightest noise or movement. In fact, he even got annoyed with me a few times despite him understanding why I was the way I was. But eventually, I relaxed and he and I were able to settle down into a more comfortable routine that was beneficial to both of us. And even though we all remained alert to any suspicious activity, I was no longer being obsessive about it and was only happy to look forward to the new developments in my life.

The main one being me deciding to move in with Eric.

Now although I knew it was for my best chance at safety and protection and I knew that eventually he and I would have moved in anyway, I was still nervous about this huge step. I had never lived with anyone but my family and my experience with men was still not on par with some other girls my age. Eric was the only one in my life that I had been serious about and even then I couldn't imagine getting to this point where we were living together like any normal couple. But that's exactly what we did. Just 1 day after the witch attack, all my things had been packed up and shipped right over to Eric's house in Shreveport and I had become settled in before the day had even ended. It was a whirlwind and it took time to get use to. Not that I didn't love being around Eric all the time because I did, but it was something I wasn't accustomed to. I was use to walking around a house where there was light shinning through every window and seeing my cousin in the kitchen when I came down in the morning, it had been my life since I came to live with her and Jason and Gran and to have to suddenly change that was weird for me. Eric's house was huge, much bigger then mine was and every single window was blacked out and had a cover of steel placed over it to ensure no light would ever enter it. And while that could be nice, because it meant that Eric would be able to walk around the house in the daytime, it sometimes made me feel like I was locked in a tomb. And I didn't see Sookie on a daily basis which was the hardest part to adjust to. She was my best friend and my family and to not see her as much as I did before was very stressful on my spirits. But eventually, it got easier and I began to enjoy being away from the old house I had grown up in and started to love my life here with Eric. And it wasn't until today when I woke up that I knew I had made the right decision. I wanted to be here and Eric wanted me here and it wasn't just from obligation. It was something we both wanted and it was the right choice for my life.

But of course Sookie and Bill didn't quite see it that way.

I knew they understand the physical importance of having me live here and I knew in that sense they approved of it. Because with these witches on the move to hunt me down, they could try any means to get at me and it was better for my safety if I wasn't in the one house where anyone could tell them where I was. If I was here, where no one knew about, then I was safer. And Sookie and Bill knew that. But on a personal level, they didn't think it was right. Sookie was worried that it was too big of a step to take so soon after Eric and I reunited and that I should have waited just a little longer. And Bill still looked at me like he was my father and I was young daughter trying to fly away from the nest too soon. He made it very clear that he didn't like Eric and he was afraid for how Eric would treat me once I was out of my own house. But I assured them this was a right decision on all fronts and that I was happy with my decision. It was all going to work out and we would all be happy. I just knew it.

But as usual, I was wrong...very wrong.

* * *

><p><em><span>That Night<span>_

Eric knew something was wrong the moment he opened his eyes that night and it wasn't just because he was lying alone in his safe room. He had always lied alone in this room he had constructed in the basement of this house. Allison couldn't bring herself to come back down here after the moment that had destroyed everything all those months ago, so he often found them separating when dawn came and he had to take to the safest part of the house and leave her upstairs in one of the bedrooms. Sure he could have stayed with her being that all the windows blocked out any light, but as a vampire it was in his nature to seek shelter as far down as he could get. And he was still in the same building as her if anything were to happen. So it wasn't him being alone that had filled him with such unease, it was the feeling of distress that rushed through his blood alerting him that this feeling was coming from someone that wasn't him.

"Allison." He said her name out loud as he threw his legs over the side of the bed in the dark room and made his way to the electronically locked door and punched in the numbers to release him to the staircase. He was desperate to get to her even though he could tell she wasn't in danger, but he still had to know the reason for her distress. He whipped up to the main floor the minute the door opened and stepped foot onto the cool tile that covered the hallway. He didn't even have to listen for footsteps or any other sign to alert him to her whereabouts and went through the house and right over to the library to where he could see the small fire dancing in the hearth and a small figure sitting cross legged in front of it. He had barely taken a step into the room before he saw her head turn to look over her shoulder and her eyes met his.

"Hi Eric." She said quietly, turning back to stare into the flames as if she were studying them and could barely take time to acknowledge his presence. The sense of uneasiness was stronger when he walked further into the room and over to where she was sitting and he could see the tense look she wore on her young face, a look that he had thought had been gone with no further attacks from the witches.

"What happened?" He asked simply, sticking his hands in his pockets and watched her as she drew her legs up close to her body and set her chin on her knees with a sigh.

"I had another vision." She replied back just as quietly as she had when she greeted him, but with his senses, he could have heard her if she had whispered. She lifted her hand and beckoned him to come sit beside her, which he did and once he was on the floor, his form still towering over her, she spoke again. "Just an hour ago, I was upstairs when it hit me and I knew I was having one. It was just a gut feeling but I knew this was a vision. I had doubted it because I never had them when I was awake before. But I just knew."

"What did you see?" Eric stopped himself from growling this out loud but he was annoyed that the little bubble of bliss they had found themselves in had just been shattered by her words.

"I saw fire, lots of it." She answered, running her fingers through the bottom of her long dark strands before she met his eyes and with a flash of guilt in her face, she said. "It wasn't the first time I had a vision of fire. I had one the night I was attacked with that spell."

"Wait, that was two weeks ago when it happened. And you never thought to tell me?" Eric instantly felt his face tighten as did his hands at this new information that had been kept from him."Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid and I didn't want to have to think of anything that scary when i was just getting over an attack. And since nothing happened in these last 14 days, I figured it may have been a fluke. At least until I had another one." She explained, shrinking away from him slightly as she spoke as if she were scared of his reaction. "The first vision was of a witch setting a circle of fire around me in the woods and those flames consumed me. But the vision I just had was of me watching a fire rise up from a distance, only I couldn't tell where I was. I was just watching it burn and I could hearing screaming and then I just woke up and this is where I have been since then."

"I could feel your distress the second I opened my eyes. I knew something was wrong." Eric kept his eyes on the fire in front of them, not feeling the heat from the flames but sensing that she did and it calmed her. He reached out and touched her arm, forcing her to look at him. "You know you have to be better then this, right?"

"What do you mean?" She asked with a frown, pulling away from him as if she were offended.

"You are having these random visions that when they come to you, they scare the shit out of you and leave you feeling all scrambled up inside. And that's because you haven't even tried to control them." He pointed out, watching as she got to her feet and crossed her arms with a glare. She was angry, that much he could tell, but it didn't stop him from saying what he said next. "You have to try and harness this new power of yours."

"Don't you think I want to do that? You think I enjoy being hit with these sudden premonitions when I least expect it? Well I don't and I don't think it's fair for you to tell me to control it when I didn't even know I had this power to begin with." She snapped at him, her bare feet stomping across the carpet towards the doorway, but he was faster then her and he appeared in the frame of the door before she could skid to a stop. And when she did, she looked up at him and shook her head. "I'm trying here Eric but I'm not like you. I can't adjust to things as quickly as you would like. That's not how life works."

"Life doesn't wait for you to get adjusted, it just happens." He shot back, taking her by the arms and pushing her against a nearby wall. "And unless you want to waste time trying to be ok with this and risk getting yourself killed then I suggest that you do everything in your power to control when you have these visions."

"I don't know how to do that." She protested, struggling against his grip but he was way too strong for her to even try and get away so eventually she stopped moving and just looked at him with a glare. "You want me to control something but I have no idea how to do what you want me to do."

"First off, this should be something you want to do too. I know you well enough to know you don't want to be taken by surprise like this ever again." He said, his fingers gripping her upper arms tightly. "But it would just involved you focusing your mind on the future just like you do with your telepathy. It will strengthen your mind and hopefully then you can chose what you see."

"I don't think it will be that easy." She disagreed, her green eyes narrowing up at him, looking more assertive then she actually was. "But I assume you think that."

"Oh course I do. I am me after all."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Now you certainly know how to calm a girl down." I said with a giggle as I laid across Eric's bare form and ran my hands through his short blond hair, amazed at how light and free I felt, like every worry or negative that I had been carrying with me today had been suddenly stripped away just from the few hours I had spent in bed with Eric. "Remind me, did what happen earlier really happen?"

"Of course it did." He told me, his head lying on it's side but I could still see the smirk that decorated his lips. "But I managed to make you forget it just as quickly as our fight happened. Sex with me can do that."

"First off, we did not have a fight. We had a brief conflict of interest on a certain matter." I protested, laughing again as I laid my cheek on the space between his shoulder blades and kissed his cold skin. "And secondly, it wasn't just the sex that calmed me down. It was seeing your naked ass that brought a smile to my face."

"Well my ass does have magic powers. It can make things happen." He replied, lifting his head slightly to look at me as my hand drifted to his perfectly smooth butt and grabbed it in my small palm which only seemed to please him more. "See? It's just like Fae blood is irresistible to vampires. My ass is irresistible to pretty little Faes like you."

"At least you're modest about it, that has to count for something." I pointed out with a grin as my fingers danced across his skin, making me shiver in ecstasy like it always did when I touched him. If I could spent my life traveling the length of his body then I would be the happiest girl in the world. "But then again, I would be smug about it too if I had an ass like that."

"Who says you don't have a perfect ass? Because in my eyes, everything about you is perfection." He told me, rolling over on his back so our eyes met and he smirked. "Humans say perfection is not possible, but I have it right here in front of me."

"You're just trying to make up for earlier by attempting to win me over with your compliments. And I have to say it is working." I rolled my eyes as I swung my leg over his waist and straddled his hips before I settled down on him. "It totally makes up for your attitude from a few hours ago."

"That attitude only comes out when I'm trying to show I care." He stated, his hands gripping my hips as he moved me so I was more firmly pressed against him. "I was only talking to you like that because I want you to harness your power so you can use it. I was only saying that to help protect you."

"I know and I love you for being so concerned. But sometimes when you try and show you care, it comes out as pressure. And I don't do well with pressure, it makes me flustered and crazy." I explained, my hands placed flat against his chest. "But I know it is only coming from the good place inside of you."

"That good place is very very tiny and its reserved for only three people. Godric, Pam and you." He smirked at me, his hands ghosting over my bare back. "And that's the way it is always going to be. Forever."

"Forever sounds really good." I grinned, leaning over close, preparing to kiss him when the sound of my ringing phone broke us apart and I saw the look of disappointment flash through his eyes, mirroring my own. Eric tried to keep my right where I was but I swatted his hands away and stretched my arm out to grab the lit up device, knowing it was Sookie and wondering why she was calling this late. "Sookie? What's wrong?"

"Allie.." Sookie's voice sounded hoarse, as if she had just woken up from a long nap and hadn't regained the use of her vocal cords. "Allie I..."

"Are you ok?" I asked, listening to her being overcome by a nasty cough and I winced, it sounded painful. ""You sound sick."

"I'm not sick. I'm...I'm fine. But I uh..." Sookie then sounded like she was being taken over by tears for some reason and that made me sit up straight but not as much as it did by what she said next. "I need you to come home right away."

"Why? What's going on?" I only asked this because I got a heavy feeling in my chest that signified that something was seriously wrong and whatever it was, it was going to be devastating. "Sookie, talk to me. What happened?"

"Our house...it was set on fire."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

Eric and I flew to Bon Temps immediately after I had hung up the phone and he moved as fast as he possible could, getting us there a lot quicker then if we had taken a car. But it still wasn't quick enough for me and by the time we reached the outskirts of town, I could see through the trees the red and blue lights swirling around, alerting me to the fact that my old house was surrounded by police cars, ambulances and firetrucks. And by the time we touched down in the grass, I was immediately over come by grief at the sight before me.

Despite the efforts of the firefighters, there wasn't much left of the house that I had grown up in when I arrived there to look at the devastating damage. Besides a few blackened pieces of wood that still stood up to show there had been a wall there and the tall stack of bricks that made up the fireplace, there was literally nothing left to the house that had been in our family for close to 200 years. The entire house was in shambles, there was wood everywhere and parts of it were still on fire while the rest of it smouldered. Every possession, every memory we had created in that house had now gone up in smoke and was gone forever. Nothing remained except the harshly burnt plywood and the smoke that curled up from it. And that just completely broke my heart and if it hadn't been for Eric holding on to me, then I would have surely collapsed. I had never thought anything could ever happen to this house. It always seemed like it would be there, standing in the middle of the grassy yard waiting for me in case I ever needed a place to come back to. But now I couldn't.

"Allie!" Sookie's voice called out to me from across the yard to my left and I turned my head quickly to see where it was coming from and was shocked when I spotted my cousin sitting in the back of the open ambulance with an oxygen mask pulled away from her mouth. She looked fine otherwise but the fact she was wearing a mask was just proof that she wasn't entirely ok.

"Oh my god, are you ok?" I managed to get out as I practically sprinted across the grass to reach her and once I did, I barely managed to take in the sight of Bill sitting right next to her before I focused all my attention on her. "What happened?"

"I'm fine, really I am. I just breathed in too much smoke. But I didn't get burned or hurt in any other way. So its ok." Sookie explained, offering me a smile and a pat on the shoulder to show that she could back up her words. "But obviously the house wasn't so lucky. I was taking a nap before I was going to go and see Bill and I woke up suddenly because I started choking on the smoke that was starting to rise from the kitchen and living room. By the time I got downstairs, the flames were already engulfing everything and I barely managed to get outside before it got worse. I was lying on the grass down by the driveway when I called for Bill and he was the one to call 911. And then after the ambulance came to make sure I was alright, I wanted to be the one to call you."

"Oh dear god. I'm so sorry." I leaned forward to hug her tightly to me just as she did the same and I bit my bottom lip to keep from crying but I wasn't doing a very good job because tears were starting to fall down my face as it hit me how close I had come to losing her. "I'm so glad you are ok. I can't believe this happened."

"Me neither. But I'm ok and I already talked to the police so they have my statement." Sookie pulled me down next to her, leaning her head against mine as our hands clasped each others. "Hopefully they can get who ever it was who did this."

"I don't think it was a random act of arson." Bill spoke up from Sookie's other side and I looked across her to catch his eyes and I saw that they were blank and I could only imagine what was going through his head. "I think it was planned, calculated. And then executed."

"I agree. It doesn't seem coincidental that there was a fire started on the Stackhouse property when there is a group out there trying to target Allison." Eric said, his eyes drifting to me briefly and I knew he was thinking about the vision. "Only this time it seems like they were going for Sookie. It has to be, because they were obviously watching the house for some time to know when to start the fire and it was known that Allison was no longer living here. So it was Sookie they were coming after instead."

"I think you're right." I said quietly, looking down quickly but even so I could tell that all eyes were on me and I knew that I would have to tell them the truth. "It had to have been the witches. Because I had a vision of fire, more then once."

"What? You never told us this." Bill's hands had been lying flat on his knees but now I could see them curl up into tight pale fists. "When did you have this vision?"

"It was two of them actually and one I had the night I was attacked and the other just today." I explained, keeping my head down because I knew if I looked any of them in the face then I could never get all of this out. And I needed to. "The first vision was of one of the witches setting a ring of fire around me and the one had today was of watching this huge fire engulf something..."

"And why didn't you say anything?" Bill asked, his voice tinged with an edge that was just scratching the surface of his anger. "If you knew you had a vision and you knew there was fire involved, then why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know it was going to happen to the house or put Sookie in danger. I thought it was going to happen to me." I protested, looking up only to see a look of pure disgust on Bill's face and I shuddered. He had never looked at me like that and it seriously unnerved me. "That's what my visions showed me and if it was going to target anyone, it would have been me. But then nothing happened for 2 weeks and I thought everything was going to be fine. I thought it was a fluke..."

"So you kept this to yourself instead of divulging it to the rest of us." Bill interrupted me with a hiss that escaped from his lips as he turned his eyes on me. "Do you realize how stupid your actions were?"

"Bill..don't." Sookie warned, turning her entire body in his direction but he ignored her as his fury only seemed to be coming to the surface.

"I'm...I'm sorry." I felt my lip trembling at the way he was looking at me. I knew he was just saying this because he was worried about Sookie, but his words were stinging and they were a blow to my heart because Bill and I had never been in this situation before. A situation where he looked at me like I was nothing. "I didn't mean to cause …."

"To cause what? Trouble? Harm?" Bill's normally calm face looked more dark and evil then it ever had before and I physically got up and moved to Eric's side because I was afraid of what he would do. "You did cause harm and trouble. This is your fault."

"Back off Compton." Eric hissed, his fangs shooting out as they always did when he was angry and I could feel his body tense up next to me but that didn't stop Bill's emotional rampage.

"I'm not going to back off because I am furious. She had the knowledge that something was going to happen and she should have told us but she didn't and now look what happened. These witches turned their attention to Sookie and endangered her life when it could have been prevented." Bill's eyes shot back over to me again, bearing down on me so harshly that I couldn't even attempt to hide from his anger and a part of me didn't want to. A part of me knew I deserved it. "You could have given us a warning and Sookie would have been under more supervised protection long ago and this wouldn't have happened. And by not telling us about this vision, you almost took away her chance of staying alive..."

"Damn it Bill, stop it right now." Sookie snapped, her voice getting so high that it was attracting the attention of the police and paramedics but no one dared to approach our group.

"You didn't give her a chance to be away from the house when the fire started and she could perished in those flames. And its your fault." Bill casting the blame fell heavy on me and I felt myself flinch before he delivered the final blow. "She could have died because of this. She could have died because of you."

"Bill!" Sookie gasped, her hand covered her mouth in shock.

"You're about to be even deader then you already are." Eric's fangs shot out even further as he grabbed Bill by the shirt and slammed him into the side of the ambulance.

But I just turned and ran, not even sure where I was going to go. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there and away from the mess I had inadvertently created.

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"So you did come back home." Eric murmured as he landed on the grass outside his house and took in the sight of the light that had been turned on outside the front door, telling him that Allison had returned here after she had run off and it filled him with suck relief that he felt momentarily weak. He had been so blinded by fury from Bill's comments that he could only think about punching the younger vampire over and over again while a crowd gathered to watch. And by the time he had managed to pull himself away, Allison had run off and no one knew where she had gone. But he knew through his bond to her that she was alright and he go the sense that she would have headed back here and sure enough, when he walked through the front door and locked it behind him, there she was, sitting on the bottom step of the staircase with red rimmed eyes and her knees drawn up close to her. He tossed his keys on the table against the wall and walked over to where she was sitting and dropped down on the floor and leaned back with his elbows on the first step. "I was worried about you when you ran off. You know you can't do that."

"I know but I didn't want to stay there any more and it was like my feet took on a life of their own and just carried me away." She said, her fingers intertwined together as her long hair fell to one sided of her face. "But I didn't wander, I convinced a cab driver to take me back here and now here I am. Safe while everything else around me is destroyed."

"You know that wasn't your fault right?" He turned his head to look at her, angry that Bill Compton had planted the seeds of doubt in her head. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Actually I did. I kept the visions to myself and that turned out to be the biggest mistake, because not only did they come true, but they put someone I loved at risk. So yea it is my fault." She wouldn't look at him and just kept her eyes staring ahead. "I could have told Sookie and Bill the truth or at least told you and then they would have known. But I didn't and now my childhood home was destroyed and all the memories that were in it. Not to mention that Sookie's life almost ended tonight because of my stupidity."

"You didn't know they were going to attack tonight and you certainly didn't know that they were going to go after Sookie. Obviously if you knew then you would have said something. So don't you dare blame yourself." It wasn't in his nature to comfort a human, but then again he didn't think he was capable of loving anyone else. And he certainly loved Allison, so maybe he could comfort her. "You're not the one to blame. These witches are."

"Yea, they are to blame because they are trying to get to me. This is all happening because of me." She turned her face to him and he was unnerved again to see tears brimming in her eyes. And even more unnerved by the flash of pain he felt coming from her. "Eric, even you have to admit Bill was right. Sookie could have died tonight because I didn't tell them about the visions. She could have been burned right along with the house if she hadn't gotten out of there. I could have been responsible for her death. So it is my fault."

"I'm going to kill Bill for making you think that." Eric growled, already plotting out ways to do it in his head to make it look like an accident. He knew deep down that Bill had only said that because he was blinded by anger and worry but Eric was seething now because Bill's words were breaking Allison's heart. He sat up and grabbed her hands between his. "You weren't trying to hurt Sookie. The witches were. You can't let yourself feel guilty for someone else's actions."

"Me keeping these visions to myself did put me in a position where I could have hurt her. And I can't forgive myself for that." Allison shook her head, removing her hand from his and stood up just as tears spilled over her eyes. "Just leave me alone Eric."

Eric could have stopped her from moving but he didn't. He let her go and watched her run up the stairs, knowing he shouldn't bother her right now and listened as she slammed her bedroom door shut. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, and hoped that later tonight he would be able to fix things.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"I think we need to talk. And when I say talk I mean seriously talk." Sookie said later that night as she walked out of Bill's expansive bathroom with her robe wrapped around her and a comb in her hand as she tugged it through the knots in her long hair and set her sights on the vampire waiting on the bed for her. It made her smile and with what had happened tonight, she needed to hold on to the small things that made life good. And despite her life being in danger there were small lights in the darkness. The main one being that she was still alive and even though the family home had burned down, she still had a home with Bill and that was what was important. But as she had been alone in the shower, cleaning off the soot and the smell of smoke from her body, her mind had begun turning in a new direction and she had come to the conclusion about something that she needed to tell Bill about.

"You have that face on that tells me I wont like what you have to say." Bill pointed out, moving to the edge of the bed as she sat down beside him as she slid the comb through her long hair and he watched her intently. "What's going on?"

"Well, I have been thinking nonstop since we walked through the door and I have tried to get my head to think of something else but it hasn't worked and I finally realized why. And that's why I said we need to have a serious talk." Sookie explained, wincing as the comb hit a snag but it was a welcome distraction from what she had to say. "We need to talk about our future..."

"Look if this is about what happened tonight with Allison then let me just tell you how incredibly ashamed I am of what I said to her. I never meant to be so cruel and hurtful as to cast the blame on her but I was so enraged by the attempt on your life that I had to yell at someone. But I deeply regret it and I will make amends with her. I promise you that." Bill said with certainly as he said all the things that sounded right but shouldn't have the situation better that quickly. But it did. Because she saw the look in his eyes and his eyes never lied. And she saw how deeply remorseful he was of his actions. So she was confident that he would follow through when he said he would apologize to Allison. His hand cupped her bare knee before he said. "Please don't let my misjudgment over tonight's events cloud your feelings about a future with me."

"Bill this is not about what happened with Allison. And while I hate the way you talked to her, I knew that you and her will make up and everything will be alright. But this is not what I wanted to talk to you about." Sookie squeezed his hand back, tossing the comb onto the bed and turned all her attention on him."It's about something that involves us and while you may not see it now, it will end up being for the best once you know the reasoning behind it. But you have to promise to let me get this all out without interruption."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Bill asked this question more to himself then to her but his eyes never left her face. "Why do I get the feeling that whatever is about to come out of your mouth is going to alter our future?"

"That's because it is." Sookie told him, smiling gently because she hated what she was going to say to him. It wasn't something that she was happy about and it wasn't really something she truly wanted to do. But it was what was right for all their lives. Once the idea had been planted in her head, the more she knew this had to happen. She just wanted Bill to take it well. But even with explanation, she knew it was going to hurt them both. And yet she still said it.

"I want to cancel the wedding."


	29. Nice vampires always win

**Chapter 29 Nice vampires always win**

_The next night_

"No no no no. I won't listen to this. I can't believe you are going to cancel the wedding!" I exclaimed louder then I ever thought possible as I looked around at the three faces looking at me and I hoped that if I stared at them hard enough then maybe they would tell me it was all a joke. It had to be, this couldn't be happening after so much bad stuff had occurred. The wedding was the one thing we were all looking forward to. But when Sookie and Bill had shown up at Eric's house 20 minutes ago saying they had something serious to tell me, I was not expecting it to be that they were canceling the wedding. I looked at Sookie and Bill who were sitting together on the couch across from Eric and I and asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"We just don't think it's the best idea to have a huge event going on where the information could leak out and give these witches a perfect opportunity to launch an attack. It would just be inviting trouble and we want to avoid that." Sookie explained, looking at Bill who was nodding in agreement with her, showing that they were united on this front. "If we went forward with the big wedding, then the witches would find out where it is and they may use it as a time to hurt a lot of people at once. Or even just to get you in a place where they know exactly where you are. And we want to keep you safe."

"But you guys have been planning this forever. It can't be canceled because of me." I frowned, feeling a wave of immense guilt wash over me for this. I knew that they were only doing it because the witches wanted me and now their wedding was being ruined because I was the target. How could I not feel guilty? "Isn't there another way around it?"

"I don't think so and I have gone over it with Bill for the last 24 hours and nothing came to mind, but you know what? It's ok, I don't mind making this sacrifice." Sookie informed me with a smile and honestly, she truly did look ok about it. "Allie, this is not just because of you. Its because of all of us. I want everyone there to be safe and we all know these witches will hurt anyone they want so this is about keeping everyone safe and unharmed. So it's best to just cancel and have a small ceremony."

"No no no. It shouldn't be like this." I stammered, feeling an even more crushing wave of guilt engulf me and Eric must have felt I because his hand instantly went to my leg and he squeezed my knee in his palm. "You shouldn't cancel something you both have been wanting for over a year now. It's not right."

"Allie please, I promise you that I am not upset about this. I truly am ok with having a small wedding so there is no reason for you to get upset." Sookie said, tilting her head to the side and watching me sympathetically. "It didn't matter about making this some huge spectacular event. All that matters is that Bill and I get married and that you're there. That's all that I really want and I don't need a big ceremony as long as I get that."

"She's right. We have discussed this thoroughly and its what we both want." Bill cut in, wrapping his arm around Sookie and looking at her with an affectionate smile. "As long as we marry then that's all we need. This is really for the best."

"This isn't fair damn it." I snapped, feeling my eyes welling up with un-shed tears that I had been holding back for a while now. "You guys were suppose to have this fairytale wedding and it was suppose to be a perfect night. And now it's ruined because of me."

"Allie, it's not your fault." Sookie got up and came over to the couch and sat down beside me, taking my hands in hers. "This was our choice and you're not at fault for us coming to this conclusion."

"No, you're wrong. It is my fault. Everything is my fault. I ruin everything these days." I snapped, shaking my head as a tear rolled down my cheek and both Eric and Sookie went to wipe it away but I moved out of reach of both their hands and stood up to face the room with my arms crossed. "I didn't mention the visions and our house burned down, almost killing Sookie in the process. She could be dead right now, but she isn't. And the one thing she has been looking forward, the one bright spot in the future, is being canceled on my account. Because the witches are after me and they will go to any lengths to get what they want. So yea, it is my fault. And don't try and say its not because I know it is."

I didn't even wait to see if any of them would try and counter my argument because I turned away and hurried across the cool tiled floor to the staircase and ran upstairs, desperate to be alone so I could cry in private and not have all those faces watching me.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"You can be a real jackass sometimes." Eric was the first one to snap at Bill the moment Allison had gone quiet upstairs and Sookie wasn't surprised that it was an insult that was coming out of his mouth but surprisingly, she wasn't going to object to it.

"For once, I am going to agree with Eric and second that notion." Sookie surprised not only herself but also the two vampires when she said this and they both shot their heads in her directions while she simply shrugged. "What? He had a point. You are a jackass."

"I didn't even do anything this time and you both are attacking me." Bill's face got dark but his comment was directed at Eric who stood across the room from him and looking like he was only seconds away from pouncing. "I haven't done anything to warrant being called a jackass."

"No, not tonight you didn't but I wasn't referring to right now." Sookie cut back in, seeing the tension seething between these two vampires and she knew if she didn't take charge of the conversation then not much talking would be going on. "Come on Bill, do you really think we wouldn't end up talking about what you said to Allie?"

"I feel bad about that and I told you I would talk to her and apologize. But you didn't need to bring it up in Eric's presence." Bill shot a glare across the room., but the rest of his body remained relaxed. "You know he only makes things worse."

"No I believe that is your thing." Eric snapped, his hands curling over the back of a chair he was standing behind and already the sound of splintering wood could be heard.

"Ok, this is not going to turn into a fight because that's the last thing we all need. We are going to stand here and talk like adults." Sookie stood between the two of them because she knew neither would try and fly at one another if she was in their path and then turned to Bill and said. "We need to resolve this problem with you and Allie right now. Or more accurately you need to do it."

"And quickly...before I decide to kill you." Eric hissed from across the room, leaning over the chair with a deathly look in his eyes.

"Eric, please. Not now." Sookie rolled her eyes at Eric's proneness towards violence. "Bill, I know you didn't mean to hurt her and you only said those thigns out of worry and anger, but it was no excuse for being that harsh. I love you, but Allie is my family and you hurt her very deeply."

"I know and I regret doing that more then you know." Bill's eyes went from a challenging glare to a remorseful heaviness. "I didn't want to be this monster that hurts people I care about but I did."

"You're not a monster at all. You just took things too far and now you have to correct it." Sookie told him gently, stepping closer to him so she could press her hand against his face. "You're a good man, but you also make mistakes. And you are responsible for Allie feeling all this guilt because you put it in her head with your comments..."

"..and I still want to kill you for it." Eric scoffed, standing up with his arms crossed. "And if Allison wouldn't give me hell for it, I would be doing it right now."

"I would love to see you try." Bill looked around her shoulder and bared his fangs at Eric, even though he wouldn't really stand a chance considering Eric was hundreds of years older then him.

"Boys, stop it right now before I smack one of you." Sookie said without thinking and it almost made her laugh when she realized that if she did slap one of them, then she would succeed in shattering every bone in her hand. She managed to keep a serious look on her face as she grabbed Bill's face in her hands and forced him to look down at her. " Look, you're responsible for making her feel so bad about everything and now you're responsible for fixing it. So go do it. Right now."

"And make sure you're sincere or else I will rip your head off." Eric couldn't help but throw out as Bill nodded at her and disappeared from the room in a flash.

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Allison? Can we speak for a minute?" Bill's voice came through the doorway of my bedroom and I had barely grunted in reply to let him know it was ok to enter before he did, shutting the door behind him just as I sat up from the spot I had been curled up in and faced him. He stood against the back of the door with his arms crossed, an uncomfortable look on his face. "I want to clear the air."

"So you can feel better about what you said?" I asked, my voice sounding harsher then I thought it would as I referred to the comments he had made to me the other night. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, wiping my face of the few tears that remained. "Because that was pretty bad coming from you. I don't think I have ever heard you talk to anyone the way you talked to me."

"I did not think I was capable of sounding like that much of a jackass but I did and now my words have hurt you and made you think you are to blame for the wedding being canceled when you're not. And I want to make sure you know that and also to apologize." He told me, sticking his hands in his pockets while he lifted his head and momentarily caught my eyes. "I don't this to hang in the air between us any longer then it already has. Because then it will be harder to over come it and we can't be fighting. We need to get back to what we use to be."

"Fine." I snapped, tucking my arms around myself and narrowed my eyes even though I was more hurt then mad. "Go ahead and say what you need to say."

"I am sorry Allison for what I said. I am so deeply sorry that it torments me to think I hurt someone who is very soon suppose to be a relative of mine and before that we were friends. And I don't want to lose that because of my bad judgment from the other night." Bill explained, stepping away from the wall and further into the room, as if moving around somehow helped him get out these words. "Blaming you for the fire was right and I only said it in the heat of the moment. But there is no excuse whatsoever for me being that cruel. That was just unforgivable."

"You weren't wrong though." I found myself saying, glancing up and meeting Bill's face and shrugged. "When I had those visions, even though I was scared, I still should have said something whether it was suppose to happen to Sookie or me. And I just hope next time that I use better judgment."

"I still shouldn't have gone about it the way I did, it wasn't right and I feel terrible for causing you pain." Bill was looking beyond uncomfortable with himself at this point and seeing him shuffling around uneasily was somehow endearing to me because it told me that he was trying to be sincere and he just wasn't sure how to do it.

"We all feel terrible for doing things." I mumbled, breathing heavily through my mouth as I thought of the fire and how closely Sookie had come to not being around anymore. Just the thought of her not being there made me shiver and in turn made me wish I had said something. Even if it was suppose to be directed at me, I should have spoke up and no one would have been in the house that night. But I couldn't take it back, I could only just not repeat my mistakes. "I didn't mean to put her in..."

"Ok stop right there because I know where this is going." Bill whipped across the room and appeared in front of me, grabbing my arms and forced me to look at him. "I was wrong for making you think you were the one responsible for Sookie being in danger. Because you weren't responsible, the blame lies entirely on this coven and not you."

"I guess in a way I know that but I can't help but think I still could have stopped it from being as bad as it was." I shrugged, knowing that even though I wasn't really to blame, I could have done something. But the moment to do that had passed and I couldn't change it. All there was to focus on was the present problem between Bill and I. "You really hurt me you know. And I love you like you're my brother and when you said those cruel things, it really broke my heart."

"Just tell me what I need to do to make you forgive me." Bill begged me, his face twisting into a desperate frown. "I don't want you to hate me."

"On any other occasion and point in time I would hold a grudge about this because you were a real jackass and you don't deserve my forgiveness." I wanted to be honest with him since I had always been and this was a situation where I couldn't hold back anything. The stakes were different now then they were in the past. "But with these witch attacks getting more dangerous and closer together, I know that there is no room to be fighting amongst ourselves. We all need to bond together and stand united or else we will be easy pickings for Newlin and this coven. And more importantly, I hate fighting with you. It doesn't do anything for me and I just want it to be over. So let's just let this go."

"You can do that?" Bill asked, looking amazed and his eyebrows furrowed in shock. "You can forgive me just like that?"

"For now yes. But talk to me like that again and I will use my awesome Faerie powers and throw you through a window."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"You know, you're really protective over Allison." Sookie said to Eric as they sat at the table in the kitchen and stared at each other while they waited for Bill to come back down from talking to Allison and it was Sookie who was the one who broke the silence by referring to what he had said to Bill earlier when they first arrived. "When you threatened Bill to make sure he was sincere when he went to apologize, that was really sweet. You don't want anything to hurt her and that's just very nice to see. Especially coming from you."

"Well don't get use to it, because it's not going to happen all that much. I just do it because I can't stand feeling her in pain. It annoys me." Eric stated, his face completely blank as he tried to act like he didn't care too deeply about Allison's feelings but Sookie wasn't fooled for a minute. She knew exactly how Eric felt about her cousin so no matter how much he claimed it was only due to annoyance, she knew better.

"Whatever you say Eric, but you won't convince me. You have already said so many times that you love her, so pretending to rip Bill's head off for a way to help yourself isn't sticking. I know you said that to make sure he made her feel better and I have to say, that I like that you did that." Sookie admitted, taking Eric by surprise so much that his head shot up and he frowned.

"You approve of me threatening to bring bodily harm to your soon to be husband?" He asked in clarification, raising his eyebrows high up in his forehead. "What is wrong with you Stackhouse women?"

"I'm just saying that I didn't like what Bill said to her anymore then you did and you were the one to throw it back at him in a way that I couldn't. So I appreciate that. Bill can sometimes be knocked down a few pegs, it would do him some good." Sookie smirked, knowing that while she would never truly like Eric, she still knew she had an ally in him and she could trust him with her cousin. And that was a big step up from their previous relationship. "I just want you to know that I like the fact that you are willing to say or do anything to make sure that Allie is happy. That's all I want for her. And if she is happy with you and you protect and love her, then that's good enough for me."

"She wants you to be happy too." Eric pointed out, his face relaxing a bit as he spoke. "That's why she took Bill's comments so hard that night. She felt like she was ruining your wedding and she didn't want you to hate her for it."

"I could never hate her for anything let alone for something this stupid." Sookie rolled her eyes at the notion that she would fault Allie for the wedding falling apart when it had been Sookie's idea in the first place. "I stand by what I said before. I don't need a big ceremony, I just need to marry Bill and that's all that really matters. She doesn't need to think this new change of events will make me upset because it won't. I just want us all to be safe and to get married. The rest isn't important."

"I have something to add to that statement that might tie everything together for everyone." Eric said, pressing his pale lips into a tight line and shrugged. "Now don't think I am doing this for you or Bill, its a matter or safety and security for everyone. And I know Allison wants to be there for your wedding and you want it to be safe. So why not just get married here?"

"Pardon my french, but what the fuck?" If anyone's jaw could fall farther open then hers was at that very moment then Sookie wanted to see it because she had never been taken by surprise quite like this. She and Eric had never really seen eye to eye on anything and they would never be considered friends. But then he goes and does something very friend-like and she didn't know what to make of it. "Why would you offer me your house to get married in?"

"Because you said it yourself that the reason you were going to have a smaller ceremony was because it would be safer and wouldn't attract attention. And what better place to have it then in a house that no one else besides us know about. No one knows Allison is living here and you want her to be safe and also at the wedding and it would just make sense to have it here where no one would suspect a thing." Eric ran his fingers along the edge of the table and then began tapping them. "But let's face it, if you have it anywhere else, then it would be incredibly easy for anyone to find out and give away your location. And we're all doing our best to keep each other safe. So that's why I am offering, take it or leave it."

"Wow, I believe that is quite possibly the nicest thing you have ever said to me. And yes I would like to take you up on that offer, thank you." Sookie tried to smile but she couldn't manage it because she was still so flabbergasted that he would do something like this. It was important to her to have Allie there when she married Bill and it was even more important to make sure that everyone at the ceremony was safe, which was the whole point of canceling the big event and going smaller. And with Eric's shocking offer, she could have what she wanted. A small and safe wedding with her cousin at her side. It was unexpected and she was surprised by how touched she felt but that's exactly what she was feeling and Eric must have picked up on it.

"You're not going to cry now are you?" He asked, his eyebrows instantly dropping down into a furrow as he looked at her. "Because if you are then I am walking out of this room because I cannot take that shit and both you and Allison know that."

"Now that sounds more like the old Eric."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"You know that was very sweet of you." Allison's voice called out to him as he shut the front door behind the leaving forms of Sookie and Bill and turned around after he locked it to see Allison standing in the middle of the floor with her hands stuck in her back pockets and a grin on her face, a welcomed expression after the tears of the night. "Offering your house to them so they can get married was just beyond anything I thought you were capable of."

"I contain vast multitudes. Or did you forget?" He smirked, moving towards her at the same time she stepped up to him and she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye but she did it and he saw a sparkle there in those green orbs that made him grin. "And besides, you're living here too so in a way it is also your house."

" A very good point." She nodded in agreement, giggling slightly as she reached up to pull her long dark hair over one shoulder so her neck was exposed. "But it's really your place and you still offered it willingly to them so they could finally do what they have been wanting to do. And I love that. It was just so..."

"Yea yea, I know it was sweet. Just the word I always wished to be used to describe me." Eric replied with his own laugh as he watched the vein in her neck pulsate and he was hit with the desire to taste her again, something he hadn't done in a while with everything that had happened so far in the past few weeks. He watched as she looked at him with a curiously clouded eye and he wondered what it was that she was thinking about. "You know I use to be scary at one point? And now I am practically unrecognizable because apparently I do nice things now. That is not how I expected to end up."

"Being sweet sometimes, doesn't mean you're not still the old Eric Northman that I first fell in love with. I know you're still the same cocky and arrogant vampire you always were who tends to fly off the handle at pretty much everything. So I would say not all that much has changed. But I do like the more frequent sweet moments. I actually find it kind of hot."

"Oh really?" Eric's interest was immediately perked up by this sudden statement and even more so by the devious look in her eyes. He reached out and with his fingers, he touched the curve of her jaw directing her face back up to his. "You find that sort of thing hot?"

"I find a lot of things hot about you." She grinned, bringing her hands up to meet his and she tugged it down before she started walking backwards to the living room. "In fact, I would like to tell you about those things."

"I think I might like this." He said smartly, allowing her to tug him into the room before being forced down onto a black leather couch while she stood there before him with the most seductive smile on her innocent young face. If anything, this made him even more curious then ever before. She never looked at him like this. This could only mean good things.

"Oh I know you will like it." She said and even though there was no fire roaring in the fireplace and there was no lights on in the room at all, he was still able to see through the darkness and take in the sight of her lifting her short dress up in the air so it wouldn't get caught on her knees before she moved forward and climbed on to his lap, straddling him with her knees on either side of his legs and her face dangerously close to his. "I can already tell."

"You know me too well sweetheart." He found himself grinning as he sat back and stretched his arms out along the back of the couch, knowing she was going to take charge tonight and he had no desire to try and be in control. In fact the idea of her being the boss was kind of a turn on for him.

"You know what I love about you? Or more accurately, about our relationship?" She asked, her hands gliding passed his inner thighs and over to her own where she fingered the hem of her dress. "Its the simple fact that we are so different. You are the complete opposite of what I ever expected to end up with and that's what makes your sweet moments that much more enjoyable."

"I don't know about you, but I am definitely enjoying this." He watched as her hands grabbed fistfuls of the fabric before yanking it up and over her head, dropping the clothing somewhere on the floor and leaving her on top of him in barely anything.

"I find it hot that you have no problem saying what is on your mind." She told him, leaning forward so her cheek pressed against the side of his face while her hands roamed over his shoulders and down the length of his arms, briefly interlocking their hands together. "I always know that you won't hesitate to tell me the truth. You may put it off but you always end up telling me, so I trust you. And that's very hot."

"Who knew being honest was such a turn on?" He smirked, feeling the swell of her breasts rising against his shirt and it caused such friction between them that he had to release his hands from hers just so he could touch her body. "Damn you are so beautiful."

"And I believe you when you say that. You make me feel beautiful." She whispered in his ear, her breath falling softly on his skin and before he knew it, he felt her lips pressing on the skin of his neck, causing him to shiver in pleasure. He loved feeling her mouth on him anywhere and she knew that. And that was why she kept kissing him, her small hands flat against his chest. " The way you look at me, the way you touch me. Its more convincing then anything I have ever heard in my life."

"Yay me then." Eric ran his hands up and down her delicate back, feeling her smooth skin under his large hands and marveled at the notion that he never once got tired to exploring her body. That had never happened to him before and he loved the effect her had on her. They hadn't even kissed yet and already she was breathing more heavily. But she wasn't about to relinquish control just yet.

"I love that I don't feel any doubt about being vulnerable with you, at least not any more." She whispered, her mouth pausing by his jaw so she could reach up and bite on his earlobe, sending a wave of pleasure through his body. "No matter what you did, you always managed to make me want to be close to you again in every way possible."

"We are definitely close now." He chuckled, feeling her fingers move up to the front of his shirt before she began to slowly unfasten the buttons in a painstakingly torturous process that he would have sped up, but with her mouth covering his neck and jaw in kisses, he had no urge to interrupt. He just let her do her thing, undressing him slowly until she practically ripped the shirt off his body and tossed it somewhere in the room. He reached out and cupped her face in his hands, rubbing circles on her cheeks with his thumbs. "I like this side of you. A lot."

"Just like I like your sweet side. We both contain multitudes." She laughed, pressing her lips against his for the briefest of seconds before pulling away as she tapped her fingers on his bare chest. "And like I said before, your sweetness is hot. And it really turns me on."

"I can definitely tell that." Eric found himself smirking in the dark as he could hear the sound of her beating heart getting stronger when he pressed his hands on her lower back, arching her into him. "But what about you? Can you tell that about me?"

"Oh..i think I have evidence to prove it." She whispered in his ear as her fingers walked their way down his chest on their descent to his waist and for a second he thought she was going to take his hands and have him undo the zipper, but once again she took him by surprise and instead teased him by running her fingers along the top of his black pants. He was just about to growl at her when she moved again, slipping her hand right down between them and into his slacks where he felt her delicate fingers stroke him before she grabbed onto him in her hand and turned to look at him with her eyebrows raised. "Oh yes Mr. Northman, you are most definitely turned on."

"Then let's finish the job." He snapped, grabbing her by the waist and turning her on her back on the couch beside him before he climbed on top of her with his fangs extended.


	30. Stronger

**Chapter 30 Stronger**

_A few days later_

"Ok Godric, I need you to help me with something." I told the 2000 year old vampire the moment he walked into my bedroom and sat down beside me. I crossed my legs underneath me and turned towards him with a determination rushing through my veins as I prepared to ask for help with something I had been thinking about since the last time I saw him. "I want you to help strengthen my new powers. I want you to help me control them."

"Why haven't you asked Eric to do this with you?" Godric questioned clasping his hands together in front of him as he tilted his head in my direction. "I'm sure he would have done it."

"I considered going to Eric for help but then I decided against it because Eric is not the most patient person in the world and he may get frustrated if it takes too long." I said in explanation, knowing that although would want to help and would have the best of intentions, he wouldn't be the right person to keep me focused. I looked at Godric again. "And besides, Eric has a very bad habit of distracting me when he is bored and right now I don't want to be distracted..."

"How would he distract you?" Godric wondered curiously, looking at me with a calm expression until it appeared a light bulb went off in his head and he suddenly frowned. "Oh...you mean..."

"Exactly...if Eric got bored enough, he will try and spice up the situation by getting frisky and I can't have that, I need to concentrate." I insisted, leaning back against the pillows. "And since there is no chance at all of us having sex, you're the perfect person to keep me focused."

"I will try and do that but the real work is going to be on you, my dear." Godric twisted his body so he was sitting cross legged like me with his hands on his knees and stared into my eyes intently. " The only way I have ever known of strengthening the ability to see the future is to just focus your mind on what you want to find out about and then try to push through so you can see it. But you have to concentrate extremely hard."

I nodded curtly to show him I had taken in his words before I sat up again and closed my eyes, setting my hands in my lap as I focused on breathing at a steady rate and clearing out any unwanted thoughts in my head. It wasn't all that easy considering my mind had been running rampant with wild thoughts for weeks now and even for years before this. So it was going to take some time to push all the worries and fears aside and to just concentrate on something. I decided to focus on Sookie's wedding, thinking that was a small enough event where I could easily push through to see what happens. And with my path clear, I went back to my breathing, small steady breaths while I kept my body frozen to a standstill and my eyes remained shut. If I had them open then I would find something to distract me so they stayed closed only showing me darkness. I stayed like this for a while, only concentrating on clearing my mind and looking towards Sookie's wedding. I was in such a relaxed state that it was almost like I was about to fall asleep and I even forgot that Godric was sitting just inches away from me. And just when I thought I really was about to sleep, I saw something clicking in front of me like a slide show, moving faster until it became a moving picture and I opened my eyes with a gasp.

"You did it didn't you?" Godric asked the moment I was able to refocus my eyes on his face and I had to blink a few times to get my vision to sharpen and when it did, his curious face came into view. "You saw something."

"Yes, I saw something. It took a while, but it happened." I breathed out heavily, my mind still going in circles over what I had seen and I knew Godric could tell my heart was beating faster then normal and that if I didn't say something then he would assume the worse. "I saw Eric..."

"Oh dear god, you saw something bad happening to him didn't you?" Godric's face was suddenly overcome with a look of horror and he looked ready to leap off the bed and run out the door when I grabbed his arm but it didn't stop the fear from spilling out of his mouth. "What happened? Is he hurt? Was he attacked by the witches? Were the rest of us attacked? Is Eric ok? What did they do to him? Is he alive? Did they..."

"Godric, shut the hell up I never said anything bad happened." I had to snap at him to get him to hear me and I shook his arm, trying to reassure him that nothing was wrong and what I had seen was not bad at all. At least not for me. "Godric, he is fine. Nothing happened to him and nothing happened to the rest of us. We're all fine."

"Then why did you gasp like you had seen something shocking?" He demanded, his eyes clouding over and he actually grabbed me by the wrists and held on tightly to the point where my arms started to hurt. "If it wasn't anything like death then what the hell did you see?"

"Uh..." I had to bite on my bottom lip to keep from laughing but the heat rising up in my cheeks was betraying me and no matter how I phrased this, it was going to be embarrassing to talk about. But I had to assure him that everything was ok. "You can calm down now, the only action I saw going down at the wedding was between Eric and me."

"oh..." Godric let go of me so quickly that I didn't even feel it for a few seconds, I could only focus on his face suddenly washed over with a look of pure relief that no tragedy had occurred in my vision. But then once the calmness had been restored, I noticed him shifting around uneasily and if he was a human, he would be blushing right now. "You and Eric were.."

"It's ok Godric, you can say it. Eric and I were having sex in my vision. I'm a big girl, it won't taint my innocence if you say the word sex." I laughed, enjoying seeing the two thousand year old vampire looking as embarrassed as a father would if he had been talking to his teenage daughter about sex. I wasn't a teenager , I was a grown woman, but sometimes Godric didn't see me like that. I got the feeling that when he looked at me, he saw an innocent, naïve girl and not the young adult that I was. And had it been anyone else looking at me like that then I would have gotten extremely annoyed. But with Godric it was very sweet. He and I had a bond that not even Eric and I had and I loved that the vampire in front of me was acting like a paternal figure in my life. "So like I said, there was action..but nothing bad."

"Well that's a relief." Godric nodded, his fingers gripping his short brown hair briefly before his head shot up to look at me and for a second I thought he might be mad. But when our met, he was laughing and shook his head. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"When it comes to Eric, then yes." I said, laughing as he look uneasy again and I just shrugged. "Sorry but you made a hot progeny. And I just can't help myself."

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later <span>_

"So are you ok?" Sookie asked her cousin as the two women sat on her bed and flipped through the channels on the flat screen television that was mounted on the wall in front of them, trying to find something to watch when all Sookie really wanted to do was talk and clear the air. She had been wanting to do that all night since she had decided to come here and pay Allison a visit, but she hadn't really had a chance to until now. Eric was constantly around and Godric was also here at the house and it just didn't feel right to be talking about this with the two vampires around. And besides, it had been a while since she and Allie had just been alone to talk and she wanted to take advantage of it. "I mean like with everything...about the wedding changes."

"I won't lie to you, I still feel incredibly guilty about the big ceremony being canceled because there was a safety issue involved pertaining to me and I don't think I will ever really be ok with ruining something of yours but I'm not torturing myself over it." Allison replied, briefly looking sad when she spoke about the night everything had been decided but it soon passed and she turned her head with a smile. "But just like you said, as long as you and Bill end up getting married in the end then that's all that ever matters."

"It's true." Sookie nodded in agreement, shaking her blonde hair out behind her. "I always wanted a big wedding but it was never a lifetime need for me. I just wanted it but I can do without it. Whether the ceremony is big or small, it still ends up with me getting Bill as a husband. And that's what I care about most."

"I just want you to be happy and not regret anything." Allison told her, leaning back against the pile of pillows with her hands settled on top of her midsection and she looked totally relaxed. "You deserve to get what you want for once."

"I am getting what I want. I'm getting Bill and I get to have you there when it happens. That's good enough for me." Sookie assured her with a pat to the arm. "I'm just going to be happy to get this next chapter of our lives started."

"I know what you mean. Even with all the threats from the witches, the future is still bright with good things like your impending marriage." Allison smiled brightly and turned her head so their eyes met. "I have a feeling that your marriage to Bill is going to be one of those rare ones that actually last."

"Yea, I know what you mean." Sookie couldn't help but grin like a child when she said this because she knew that marrying Bill was the right thing for her. So many got married and the relationships never lasted because they weren't right for each other. But Sookie knew without a doubt that Bill was the one for her and that although there would be trying times ahead, they would always pull through. She had that much faith in their relationship. "Hey, do you think you and Eric will get married someday?"

"Oh wow, I never even thought about that." Allison sat up quickly, a small giggle escaping through her lips as she drew her legs up to her chest. "I mean I know he and I have a future together but marriage? No, I haven't thought about it at all. And Eric is not the marrying kind."

"That's true. But what if he did ask you?" Sookie pushed, wondering what her cousin would say to this. She always wondered where Allie and Eric would end up and in her mind, that meant marriage, but it wasn't her life. It was Allie's life. "If Eric walked up to and just suddenly asked you to marry him, what would you say?"

"That is never going to happen because Eric is not like Bill. He doesn't do things the same way and I'm ok with that." Allison stated, pulling her long hair over her shoulder and began running her fingers through the ends of it. "I love Eric and I want to be with him forever. And as long as that happens then it doesn't have to include marriage."

"But in your perfect world, if it did miraculously happen, what would you do?" Sookie questioned with a devilish grin as she tapped her fingers on her leg.

"In my perfect world, seeing Eric down on one knee asking me to be his wife...how would I react? If he ever did end up asking, I wouldn't say no." She admitted, instantly starting to blush and she shook her head as if she were ashamed of wanting that with him. "I mean, can you blame me for thinking that? He's hot and in his own way, he cares about me. He would kill anything that tried to hurt me. Who wouldn't want to be his wife?"

"If that every happened, Eric would be very lucky."

* * *

><p><em><span>Down in the basement<span>_

"Eric why have you called me down to your safe room when Sookie and Allie are right upstairs probably wondering what the heck we are doing?" Godric asked as he stood against the wall and watched as Eric continued to pace just like he had ever since he had dragged Godric down here.

"I need to talk to you and I didn't want either of them to over hear." Eric explained, coming to a stop with his hands on his hips and a frown filling his strong features. "And neither of them will come down here. Allison wont because she hasn't stepped foot in this room since the morning when everything fell apart. So its the perfect place to get privacy."

"You sound incredibly serious and that worries me." Godric said, sensing the change in his child's demeanor and knew that whatever it was that he was worrying about had to pertain to something important. "What's on your mind?"

"I need you to tell me what else I can do." He spat out, almost sounding angry as he said this as if he hated himself for having to ask. "I need you to tell me what else I can do to protect Allison."

"What makes you think you're not doing all you can?" Godric asked honestly, uncrossing his arms and moved towards his child slowly. "You had her move in with you. You are keeping her whereabouts as secret as you can so they witches can't easily find her. You are using your house for her cousin's wedding so she can be there and be safe. And you rarely let her out of your sight for more then a few minutes. I think you are doing everything you possibly can."

"There has to be more, there has to be more that I can do. I need the tightest precautions I can make so there are no slip ups. If one protection level fails there has to be like 50 others to take it's place." Eric insisted, gripping his short blonde hair and looking extremely unstable at the moment. "I have to be more careful then I ever have in my life. I can't make any wrong moves or else it could mean her death."

"Eric, you need to relax or else you are going to go insane and we need you to be levelheaded from here on out." Godric told him gently, knowing how deeply worried Eric was about Allison's future even if he didn't always show it. "We are all doing all be can and that's enough to keep her safe. Holly put a blocking spell on Allison that night so these witches can't hurt her from afar and as I said to you just seconds ago, you are doing everything else to ensure her safety. So I don't believe there is anymore you can do."

"I can't lose her Godric. I just can't." Eric stopped moving for a moment and just stood there with clenched fists. "I can't let these witches hunt her down and kill her. Because you know as well as I do that even if they get what they want, they won't just go away. They will end up killing her just to make a point and show they can. And I can't live with myself if that were to happen."

"It's not going to happen so don't even think that." Godric ordered, feeling wounded by Eric saying that he couldn't survive if Allison didn't make it. He didn't even want to try and imagine the pain that would come if he lost his child. "It's not going to be easy and it will be really hard, but I promise you that this battle will not take any of us. It will all be alright."

"You really believe that?" Eric asked, turning to glance at him as he walked across the dark room and dropped his long frame down into a chair. "You really think this will all turn out ok...that we will kill the witches before they kill us...that no one we know will die..that everything we want turns in our favor..and we all get the happy ending that you're talking about."

"Yes I do believe that." Godric replied smugly, sitting on the edge of the bed and looked at the taller vampire. "You have to keep your faith strong or else all hope will vanish."

"You live in a fantasy world Godric. Happy endings don't exist, at least not in the way we want." Eric grumbled, his voice filled with more despair. "All I have faith in is my ability to kill every one of those witches and protect Allison at all costs."

"You really do love her don't you?" Godric asked his progeny, watching as Eric leaned forward with his arms on his knees and sighed so heavily that it sounded like he had been giving in to all the feelings he had been holding back for a thousand years.

"I do love her. I would rather meet the true death a million times over before I allowed those witches to harm one hair on her head."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"You look like you have something on your mind." Eric said to me later that night after Sookie and Godric had left and we were sitting in the kitchen while I was eating a bowl of pasta for dinner and he kept on watching me with this suspicious expression on his face like he thought something was seriously wrong. I felt his large hand cover my wrist and he pulled me off the counter stool and down to the floor while my fork clattered down on the counter top with a loud thud. I looked up at Eric's concerned face and I saw his blue orbs narrow. "You didn't have another vision did you?"

"No no no." I instantly shook my head, knowing that was exactly what he was thinking was the case when it wasn't. "I mean, I did have a vision earlier when I was working with Godric, but it wasn't a bad one. It was a very good one, trust me."

"About what?" He asked, not looking convinced at all and it wasn't until he spoke again that I understood why. "Because you have lied to me before about having visions so you can understand why I would doubt you."

"Yea, I guess I deserved that." I nodded, biting my lip to keep from laughing but I knew I couldn't hold it off for long, especially when I was about to tell him what I had seen. "But this vision..it was of you and me. At Sookie's wedding..having spectacular sex against the wall."

"Really?" Eric's lip curled into a pleased smile as soon as those words left my mouth and I could see his entire body relax as his hand left my wrist and he stepped back with his arms crossed. "Well that sounds like a nice thing to see."

"Oh it was. It was very very nice. You were in rare form that night." I told him with a childish giggle that I actually had to slap my hands over my mouth to stifle it. "See? Not all visions are going to be foreshadowing bad things."

"Then why did it look like you were thinking of something not so pleasant?" He asked, his face quickly flashing back to a more serious expression and he frowned again. "I may not read minds like you, but I know you well enough to know that something is bothering you."

"I'm just..thinking a lot about the future." I told him through clenched teeth as I thought about what had been going through my head on and off all day. "When I was practicing my powers earlier with Godric, it reminded me that the reason I was trying to strengthen my abilities was because we may soon have to battle these witches. And that in turn made me think about what may happen to everyone we know...And more importantly, what would happen to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me." He insisted, placing his hands on my shoulders heavily. "Yes we may be going to war and yes there are going to be deaths, but that doesn't mean any of us are going to die."

"I just worry about you. I love you and it drives me crazy to think that I could lose you." I stammered, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady because I did not want to appear weak in front of him but I couldn't really help it. For the first time I was giving voice to a fear I had ever since we found out the witches were targeting me. "I don't know what I would do if you died. I don't think I could survive without you."

"First off, don't ever say that you wouldn't go on and survive because that is bullshit. You would live your life even if I wasn't in it and I won't listen to you say anything different." He protested, moving his hands down to my arms and pulled me closer to him. "And secondly, you won't ever have to figure out how to move on because I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to die."

"You better not. Because that would really suck." I shot him a small smile as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his midsection, laying my cheek against his hard chest. "I just want everything to be ok. I don't want to worry anymore."

"Neither do I. I worry about you constantly these days and it's driving me up the wall." He told me with a chuckle, causing me to pull back away from him to meet his face with a shocked frown. He just shrugged and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "What? You don't think I worry about you as much as you worry about me? How can I not? There is an impending war upon us. My mind is always going to be on keeping you safe."

"Good to know we have each others backs." I said with a smile, placing my hand on his chest and sighed. "But I meant what I said before. You cannot die on me."

"I won't. And you can't die on me." He shot back, his hands cupping my face and his fingers getting lost in my hair. "I worry about you in the exact same way. And that's why you are never going to be anywhere near the battle."

"Uh I don't think you get to dictate that. If we are going to war in the near future, then we need as many people on our side as possible. Including me." I removed his hands from my face and stepped back, putting some distance between us. "How do you think you are going to keep me from fighting at your side? What..are you going to tie me up?"

"Don't tempt me." He growled, his blue eyes turning to slits playfully. "I will do whatever it takes to ensure your safety and survival. Whatever the witches want from you, they wont stop till they get it. And I won't have you going out into battle where they can easily capture you."

"But I can help." I protested, pushing the boundaries of Eric's stubborn nature. "I'm not just a normal human, I have powers and abilities. I can be a good asset."

"No. Absolutely not." Eric shook his head as if he was the one who got to decide this and not me. "I won't have you putting yourself at risk. If we end up going into battle, then you are not going to be there."

"I'm capable of fighting alongside you." I grumbled, feeling a heat rise up in my body. "I can take care of myself and still help take down this coven."

"You are no match for these witches. They will overtake you easily before you could blink. So no, you are not fighting if it comes to war." Eric stated with finality, looking bossy and stubborn as he stared down at me. "You need to be protected and there's no way I can protect you 100% in this battle. You're not capable of doing this..."

"Oh really?" I felt my eyes narrow down further then they ever had before. I wasn't mad or offended by his words, but what I did next said something entirely different then what I was feeling.

I had barely stopped talking before I felt the warmth spread from my chest and go all the way down my arms and to my hands, shooting our through my fingertips in a blinding white light. I didn't even stop to take in Eric's expression before I raised my hands and directed the beams of light at his chest, knocking him off his feet like he was nothing and sent him flying through the air and out the doorway of the kitchen where I could hear him land on the floor and skid to a stop just as I dropped my hands down to my sides. I rushed to the doorway and peeked out to take in the sight of the former viking lying on his back in a heap of long limbs just in time to turn his head and catch my eye with a withering stare. I couldn't help but smirk as I walked towards him and once I reached his crumbled form, I knelt down and after seeing that he was alright, I climbed on top of him. I straddled his waist much like I did the other night in the living room, but this time it wasn't about foreplay. It was about keeping him in his place and making him see what I had been trying to convince him of.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked, pushing himself up on his elbows to look at me better and although his voice sounded steady and slightly dark, I saw in his eyes that he somewhat liked what I had done. It wasn't often that Eric Northman was overpowered and made to feel like the weakling, but when it came to me taking charge of him, he didn't seem to mind. "You could have killed me if I crashed through something wooden."

"I was controlling where I sent you so don't start bitching." I smirked, patting his cold cheek lightly before setting my hands on my knees. "And besides, I had to prove a point to you."

"And what would that point be?" He asked and as he spoke, I felt the coolness coming from his mouth, moving my hair off my face while I smiled gently at him.

"Eric, I know you see me as this little girl that you need to protect, but I'm capable of taking care of myself sometimes." I told him, tilting my head to study his face more observantly. I knew he had only said what he said because he wanted to ensure that I would be around. And in his mind, the only way he could do that was to try and force me to hide while everyone else went to war. But that wasn't fair. Not only was I capable of taking care of myself but I could fight too and kill these witches just like he could. And why shouldn't I put myself in danger just like he was to fight for my own survival? He was willing to go to war for me and risk his life in the process. I just wanted the opportunity to do the same for him. After all, this whole thing was about me anyway. I reached up and cupped his face in my small hands and sighed. "You don't always need to be protecting me. I'm a lot stronger then you think I am."

"Apparently so." Eric said before we both leaned forward and kissed each other.


	31. Moving Forward

**Chapter 31 Moving Forward**

_Two nights later_

"You're thinking hard about something aren't you?" Eric asked me with a smirk as he twisted his head to the side so we could look at each other and I felt his hand caress my face before he spoke again. "I can tell."

"Maybe I'm just worn out from all this sex we have been having." I shot back with a giggle as I tucked the sheet around my naked body, the only thing covering me and offering me shelter out here on Eric's back porch. We had come out here not too long ago after we had basically fucked each other senseless for what seemed like the 5th time in one night and I just wanted to relax out under the clear night sky where we could see stars for miles around us in all directions and it seemed like the perfect way to end a night. I was lying in the arms of the man I loved and we had just been together in the most intimate way we possibly could and now we were out here under the stars with no clothes on and only a sheet covering us. There was something very breathtaking and serene about this moment and I should have been focused on only that. But of course I wasn't and Eric could always tell and he would continue to prod until I confessed, so I might as well do it now. "I've just been wondering what the witches are going to do next. They haven't made any other move and that worries me. Because it was like that last time. There was a grace period before trouble started again..."

"The calm before the storm." Eric finished my thought for me and propped himself up on one elbow so he was leaning over me. "Haven't you been trying to have a vision of them?"

"I've been trying my hardest but I just can't seem to push through. It's like there is a wall up between my mind and what I'm trying to see and I can't knock it down. It's incredibly frustrating." I grumbled as I thought of all the hours I had spent in the last few days trying to strengthen my vision ability and to my surprise and shock, the more I practiced the easier it became to start controlling it. And luckily I had all the time to concentrate on doing it. What else was I going to be doing during the day when I waited for Eric to wake up? So it had become my daily routine to practice for a few hours so I was as strong as I possibly could be. But even with practice, whenever I tried to foresee what the witches next move would be, I came up empty handed every time. I tried pushing harder and harder, but if I strained too hard, I would black out and more then one time Eric had woken up to find me on the floor in a heap. But it didn't stop me from trying even though I never got any closer to seeing anything. "I'm trying, I really am. But it hasn't worked and I'm worried. If I can't see what they are going to do next then we can be caught off guard again like the last time."

"Don't get yourself all worked up in a panic until you know there is something to panic over." Eric told me, grabbing my chin in his hand to get my focus back on him and when our eyes met, he smiled. "You worry too much. Maybe the reason you can't see it is because the witches haven't decided what to do yet. So that could end up being a good thing."

"How is me not seeing what they are up to, a good thing?" I asked with a frown, pushing his hand away and sitting up straight with the sheet tucked under my arms. "I don't understand you sometimes or how you think."

"Then let me explain, since your human mind seems to be slow tonight." He smirked, ruffling the ends of my hair with his fingers. "Its a good thing, because if the coven doesn't know what they are going to do next, it gives us more time to come up with a plan of our own."

"That sounds great and all, but only if it turns out that way." I pointed out, drawing my knees up close to me and sighed. "What if they do know what their next attack is going to be and they have somehow figured out a way to block someone from seeing it?"

"You give these witches too much credit." Eric laughed, his hands clasped behind his head as he lay there looking at me.

"Well, I think you don't give them enough credit." I shot back with my own smile and ran my hands through my long hair before setting them in my lap. "But I hope you're right anyway."

"I usually am." He replied smugly and then he reached out and tugged on my arm. "Come lay with me."

I of course didn't offer any resistance and allowed him to pull me down on the porch next to him, cuddling up in the curve of his arm with my head on his chest and my arm over his waist. I sighed, tightening my grip on him just as he laid his head back and allowed his body to relax. And for a moment we were both quiet. The only sounds were from my own steady breathing and from the wind blowing through the trees in the yard. I turned my head up to the dark sky and watched the stars twinkle above me and then I broke the silence and asked.

"What do you think they want with me?"

* * *

><p><em><span>At Fangtasia the next night<span>_

"So I think we need to decide what we are going to do from here on out." Eric said to Godric the moment the two vampires met up in his office inside Fangtasia like they had discussed earlier that evening and even Godric was surprised by his child's immediate jump in to the reasoning behind this conversation. Normally Eric would be tip toeing around the subject and making things harder then they had to be, but not on this night. Tonight he clearly had an agenda and he came here with his game face on, that just went to show how serious he was taking this. "We need a plan of attack."

"I agree. We can't simply just stand by and protect Allison and our selves any more. It's not going to work like that any longer. These witch attacks are going to get worse and they won't lessen unless we do something." Godric sat down on the couch against the wall and shook his head. He had been hoping that by some miracle, the witches would lose interest in Allison and leave all of them alone. But he knew it wasn't realistic to think that way. It wasn't a perfect world and this coven was stronger then they realized and would stop at nothing to get at the still unknown part of Allison they they desired. Sitting by wasn't going to stop them and they could only protect her for so long before the witches figured out a way to break through their ranks. "What are you suggesting we do now?"

"We have to bring them to an end as swiftly as we can manage and the only way it can possibly end is in a war." Eric said back with a furious shake of his head as he leaned back against the desk with his hands tucked into his front pockets. His eyes were filled with such a dark fury that Godric was certain Eric would be ready to start fighting right now if he could. "You and I both know that they won't stop unless they're challenged."

"I hate to agree with you because I didn't want it to come to this but now it seems we have no other choice. We have to go to war." He said this reluctantly, rubbing his hands up and down his face as it hit him the trouble and trying times they now had ahead of them. It was going to be a dark road but there was no alternative. They couldn't just do nothing and wait for the witches to pick them off one by one. If they were going to end up dying in the end then they were going to die fighting. He looked up at his progeny, who was waiting for him to say something else and he did. "So we need to start assembling an army of our own to counter the coven. And we need a plan to draw the witches out in the open so we can kill them."

"You're actually going to take part in these killings?" Eric asked in surprise, standing up straight. "You haven't wanted to kill another being in hundreds of years and now you are going jump into a battle where you will be doing that a dozen times over."

"You said it yourself, we're not going to find peace unless we challenge them and there's no way I can let you go into war without being by your side. So that's what I am going to do." Godric told him, knowing there was no possible way he could live with himself if he knew there was a war going on and he wasn't there to help his progeny. And if something were to happen, if Eric were to die and Godric wasn't fighting with him, then he would surely try and meet the true death once again. "I don't want to go to war, but we have no other option. We need to meet these witches head on and soon."

"The sooner the better."Eric nodded in agreement, tapping his long fingers against his chin. "I want this over so we can all live a good and peaceful life. And so Allison finally gets to breathe."

"So we start acting now and we don't look back." Godric started warming up to the idea, figuring he might as well embrace it since they couldn't do anything else. "We gather as many vampires and other supernatural creatures as we can. .."

"I will get right on that." Eric stated, standing up even straighter and then moved to go back behind the desk but something made him pause and look back. "But what are you going to do?"

"Oh I have my own mission in mind." He answered with a smirk as the idea has already began to peculate in his head and he grinned even broader. "I'm going to find out what those witches want with Allison."

"Uh ok. If we haven't figured it out by now then I doubt we will at all." Eric said, laughing in disbelief but when their eyes met and he saw that Godric was serious he asked. "How are you going to do that?"

"Let's just say that I know someone who might point me in the right direction."

* * *

><p><em><span>Meanwhile...<span>_

"So remind me again why I had to be stuck here with you?" I grumbled out loud as I threw myself down on a couch against the wall in the bathroom while I directed my gaze at the female vampire who stood across from me at one of the mirrors and did god only knows what to her perfect face.

"Apparently you are a magnet for trouble darling and Eric left you in my care while he speaks privately with Godric because you cannot be left alone for too long. And he thinks you would find trouble in the the 20 minutes he is in his office." Pam shot back, leaning close to repaint her lips a light shade of pink while she stared at me in the reflection of the mirror. "So the babysitting duty fell to me."

"Oh that must make your night and your life." I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms in a huff that I was being watched over like a child or some weak pathetic girl who couldn't take care of herself. It wasn't like I was alone in some dark alley. I was at Fangtasia where it was in full swing and Eric was only in his office with Godric less then 50 feet away. How much trouble did he expect me to get into with those factors? I looked at Pam and asked. "Don't you think he's going a bit overboard with this?"

"I don't question Eric's reasons for doing something. I just follow orders, especially when they include watching over a hot little thing like yourself." Pam smirked when she saw me shudder at her comment and it only seemed to please her more when I broke our stare because she started laughing. "Don't take it personally honey. With your situation, I'm the least of your troubles."

"Don't I know it." I sighed, stretching my arms out in front of me and rolled my shoulders. "That's probably why they are talking in private, they think it will scare me if they speak about the witches in front of me. It has to be that.. they did have their serious faces on after all."

"They make such a fuss over you that it is sickening." Pam shook her head and pulled out a brush and began tugging it through her long hair. "I mean, we're in control over the situation, so they just need to fucking relax already."

"It's a scary situation and I understand why they are so strict about not leaving me alone without some one they trust nearby." I got up from the couch and walked over to the other end of the sink counter and ran my hands under the faucet just so I could be doing something besides sitting there and thinking about the trouble in my life. It was hard not to think about it because the more that time wore on and the more they attacked, it put each and everyone of us on edge to the point where everyone was tense and not able to lead a normal life. But what was the alternative? Not being alert and protective would get one of us killed most likely. And I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Bill and Sookie or Eric and Godric and even Pam was included in that equation. They were all my family in their own way and if any of them were to be caught in the crossfires too closely, then I knew I could never forgive myself. And that must have been why I turned to Pam and said. "I'm scared of what could happen."

"That's because you're a silly little girl and you are fueled by emotion." Pam scoffed in response, obviously amused by what I had said and she turned her body in my direction with her hands on her hips. "Fear is useless. And with the amount of stupid vampires who care about you, no harm will come to you."

"I guess you're right." Surprising myself that I actually agreed with something she said and I laughed a little uneasily because I wasn't used to doing that. But ever since Pam had come close to being staked that night and I had been the one to push her aside and take that stake in the chest, it had forced a change in the dynamic of our weird relationship. She still talked to me as she usually did, but now I got the feeling that underneath the sarcasm, she was somewhat caring about the new lease on life that I gave her. I almost made the ultimate sacrifice that night and I saved her life. So we would never be able to go back to how we use to be. "You know, I don't just worry about my own life. I worry about the others too. Godric, Bill, Sookie, Eric...and surprisingly, even you."

"I don't need your worry. It annoys me." Pam hissed over to me as she looked back to the mirror and ran her hands through her hair. "Besides, I am a vampire. I don't break that easily."

"You would have that night if I hadn't gotten staked for you." I reminded her, watching her frame freeze and it went so quiet in the room that I wondered if I had gone deaf temporarily.

"Don't be a bitch, I already thanked you for it so stop bringing it up." Pam obviously was not use to being indebted to someone so she sounded almost defensive as she stood up straight. "We're never going to be friends and I am never going to truly like you but I respect what you did for me. And I won't forget it. Because you won't let me."

"Gee Pam, that was almost close to a genuine response. I'm impressed." I said jokingly, watching her roll her eyes as she walked past me to the doorway intending for me to follow her. "Maybe you do care about me..."

"Will you just stop trying to make this a warm and fuzzy moment? It's making me sick." Pam pretended to gag, showing her disgust for the turn this talk had taken. "It's not a big deal."

"It is to me." I said without thinking and I was shocked when Pam turned around and flashed forward at me, pushing me against the wall with her hands gripping my upper arms like she had steel fingers.

"Don't make the mistake that I will ever look at you as anything other then a plaything. I can't really stand you unless you are silent, that's when you're almost tolerable." Pam said, looking down at me with narrowed eyes. "I put up with you because of Eric."

"Because he orders you to?"

"Eric's my maker and contrary to belief, I do care about what makes him happy. And unfortunately, you make him happy. For a reason I can't even begin to understand, he loves you." Pam wrinkled her nose as she said that word like it smelt bad or she didn't believe in it. Either way, it made her release me and she dropped her arms to her before stepping away again. But before she got too far, she looked over her shoulder and said. "Even I can see he loves you. So therefore, I am obligated to love you too...or at least pretend that I give a shit."

"Once again, I am impressed by your sincerity." I heckled jokingly, but as I followed her back out to the bar, she looked back at me and for a second we shared a brief and fleeting, but still friendly smile.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"Eric, why did we come back here so quickly?" Allison asked him as he pulled her through the front door of his house and then led her towards the office located near the back, not bothering to let go of her hand in his urgency. "What's going on? You look like you have something to say. Does it have something to do with why you were talking to Godric?"

"It has everything to do with that and more. And I want to explain it all to you so nothing is left out." He said, flipping on the light and directing her into a chair at a small table while he went to his file cabinet and pulled open the bottom drawer. "Godric and I have decided it's time to start formulating our own plan of attack and that's what we were talking about. We can't wait any longer to strike back at this coven. They're getting more and more dangerous each time they attacked and if we don't do something, then the worse could happen."

"So this really will come to war?" Allison nodded briefly before she leaned forward and set her elbows on the table top and put her chin in her hands. "That's what you mean when you say strike back right?"

"We don't have a choice." Eric told her, shuffling through the numerous files he had. "If we don't go to battle with them, then they won't stop until they have you and whatever they want from you. And I for one am not about to let that happen. So that's why Godric and I wanted to talk to in private, so we could begin to map out any possible way to ignite this war."

"Ok, so then why did we rush back here if you guys were planning something?" Allison questioned, twirling her hair nervously around her fingers. "Is there something else? Something that you need to just talk to me about?"

"Yes." Eric barely took time to node before his eyes landed on the folder he wanted and he quickly pulled it out and walked over to the table and sat across from her, setting the file down and placing his hand on her arm, not knowing how she was going to react. "Look, now that we plan to go to war, it means that we need to recruit other vampires and supernatural creatures to fight with us. And in order to convince some of these people, I will need to speak with them in person."

"I think I know where this is going." She sighed heavily, bringing her arms down and she placed her small palm on his wrist, circling her delicate fingers over his skin. "Is it really necessary?"

"Unfortunately yes. There will come a time when I will have to go away on business and you won't be able to come with me. You'll still have protection but most of the time you will have to stay here and that's why I wanted to make sure that when that time came, you were well protected." He explained, releasing her from his grip and turned to pick up the file. "And that's why I wanted to give you this."

"What is it?" She asked, hesitantly taking it when it slid it over to her but she wouldn't open it right away.

"It's the deeds to the house, I want you to sign them so you're legally seen as a co-owner. That way if the witches send vampires to attack, then they won't be able to get you because you will be able to control who comes in." He explained, reaching over and flipping open the file so the official letterhead came into view and she saw that he was serious. And he was. He had this in mind for a while now and had the papers drawn up weeks up before any of this happened. Because he had a feeling that it would come to this and he wanted to be prepared. He looked up at the way she was staring at him and for once he couldn't read her expression and he immediately knew she was going to to refuse. "Look, I know you probably don't think it's a good idea and you're going to say no, but this is a matter of your safety and..."

"Eric, shut up. I wasn't going to say no. I was only looking at you like that because...i was so incredibly touched by your gesture." A grin spread across her face despite the tension that was left there from the witch situation and she got up from her chair and came around the table to him. She pushed his arms aside and without hesitation she sat down in his lap, wrapping her thin arms around his neck before smiling at him again. "I can't believe you really want me to co-own your house."

"It's the only thing that makes perfect sense for your protection." He said slyly, locking his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him so he could inhale her scent even more intimately. He kissed her should before looking up and saying with genuine emotion. "I just want you to be safe."

"I know you do. And I love you for that." She moved her hands to either side of his face and leaned her head against his, breathing slowly. 'You're a good man Eric Northman and I don't know what I would do if you hadn't walked into my life."

"I have an idea what it would be like." Eric smirked, sitting back so their eyes meet and he said the one thing guaranteed to lighten the situation. "You wouldn't be having such spectacular sex, that's for sure."

"See? I love you even more for comments like that."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Oh fuck."

Godric couldn't help but laugh out loud at the reaction he got as soon as the door opened in his face and the vampire appeared in the frame before him. He knew that when he came here to seek Louie's assistance for a second time that it would not be met with a cordial greeting, but that didn't stop him from doing it. Partially because he liked that he had another excuse to put himself back in his old friend's life and hopefully make more steps to talking about their past. But it was mostly because he had no one else to turn to about the situation. No other vampire knew as much about the Faeries as Louie did and it was him and him alone that could be the key to finding out what the hell these witches wanted with Allie. There was no one else who could figure out why she was such an interest to witches besides Louie. So their past had to be pushed to the side for now because it wasn't nearly as important as finding out why Allison was such a target.

"Hello to you too." Godric said sarcastically, crossing his arms and walking right passed Louie and into the living room, ignoring Louie when he hissed and slammed the door shut so hard that the house shook.

"What are you doing here?" Louie demanded his eyes not bothering to mask his dislike for what was going on. "I thought I got rid of you."

"I thought you did too. I thought I wouldn't have to come back here. But I was wrong." Godric forged ahead, not wanting to waste time in trying to make small talk because if he did that, then Louie would just find more excuses not to talk to him. So short and simple was the key to this current situation. "I would have stayed away if I could, but there is a pressing matter at hand and I don't know anyone who can give me more insight like you. So once again, I need your help."

"Can't you do anything for yourself?" Louie snapped, rolling his eyes as if this nuisance was a constant thing and not simply a two time occurrence. "Why do you always have to bother me because you need to know something?"

"I don't have all the answers so I'm coming to see someone who does." Godric so badly wanted to roll his eyes, not liking that he was in a moment where it made him feel like he was having a childish fight. "And I wouldn't be here unless I felt like it was a matter of life and death. So please just help me...and then I will go."

"Somehow I doubt that but whatever." Louie waved his hand in the air and sat back with his legs crossed. "I assume this still has to do with that Faerie Allison Stackhouse you mentioned the last time."

"You assume right. She's aware of her new powers and she's strengthening them, but that's not the issue. The issue if that these witches are getting more and more dangerous with their attacks." Godric explained, sitting down on the edge of a black armchair and leaned forward. "She had a pain spell cast on her the night I told her about what you told me about the secondary Fae power. And luckily there was a friendly witch her cousin knew who lifted the spell and put a block on the girl so it couldn't happen again. But then recently, her house burned down and this time the witches were targeting her cousin. It's getting worse each time and who knows how bad it will be the next time."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you." Louie stated with a shrug, his face guarded and suspicious. "I don't know why they want her."

"You may not know exactly, but you have an idea. I know you do." Godric pointed out, knowing this vampire well enough to know when he was hiding something or at least not admitting to something. "If you have any clue then tell me. If I don't figure it out soon then I have a feeling these witches are going to come up with a sure fire way to get her. And when they do, she won't stand a chance. She's powerful, but not against an entire coven."

"I can't say with certainty why they are targeting her but I might have an idea to the path to the answer." Louie said, sitting up with his elbows on the arms of the chairs and he pressed his lips together. "Have there been any other attacks?"

"Yes, about 2 months ago we were in Fangtasia when a stake was shot through the window, intending for Eric's progeny Pam. But Allison heard the shooter's thoughts and got Pam out of the way and took the stake in the chest herself. And we put it together that it was all part of a string of attacks that would eventually keep coming." Godric told him wondering why exactly it was important. "What do the other attacks have to do with anything?"

"If there was an established pattern then its easier for me to see a clue and I definitely see one." Louie's face came alive for a brief moment as a flash of knowledge passed through his features. "It's obvious that they want her, but yet they are going after others around her. It's almost like they are looking for a weak spot to go through to get to her. And they are just picking off the others to see which would be easier. Or at least attacking just hard enough to see what the resistance would be.."

"I don't understand, they want her, and they are witches. Why can't they just come and take her when none of us are around? Like during the day?" Godric questioned, more confused then he was before. He thought this was suppose to be a clue but he clearly wasn't following it the way Louie was.

"You said yourself that she is powerful and even though it may not seem like it, her being what she is both a blessing and a curse." Louie shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Her being a full blooded Fae makes her powerful, she has more gifts and abilities then the partial Faes. And that's why they can't just simply take her. They can hurt her, but they can't take her. Her power will kick in and save her. She can evade capture a lot easier then you all must think."

"But that all sounds good. So why would you say its a curse as well?"

"It's a curse because her power and blood is very desirable to all supernatural creatures and for different reasons, which will invite anyone and anything to take a chance at her. Look what her blood did to you, it brought you back to life when you're soul was the only part left of you. She would be desirable for witches because she has delectable blood and powers that can do things they can't and she can out match a vampire. That makes her a huge interest to anything."

"But witches have more diverse powers and abilities then vampires and sometimes even Faeries. So what good would she be to them?" Godric asked, scratching his head, hoping the answer would just come to him. "Besides the fact that they would just drain her for the blood..."

"Because she would give them more power if they drained and killed her." Louie mumbled, struggling inside to grasp something that seemed right in front o him and then suddenly, he seemed to get it. He sat up with both feet on the floor and said. "I know what they want from her."

"What?" Godric's head shot up, staring at his old friend in shock. How had he figured it out this fast?

"Think about it, they know what she is and what she can do. And while they have more powers then us, they are always hungry for more. And they are going to be looking for anything they can attack so they can take on more power. And what's more intoxicating to a power hungry witch then a creature we all thought was extinct." Louie shook his head rapidly. "They are targeting her for her powers, but because she is stronger then she even knows, they won't be able to get to her. So that's why they are occasionally trying to attack those around her, seeing if they push hard enough if she would give them what they want."

"They can't just take her abilities like it was a possession. Those powers lie in the soul, so it can't just be taken so easily. I would know, when I was trapped in that tomb I was only my soul and no body. But my soul retained all my vampire characteristics and powers. So as long as she doesn't get separated from her soul, they can't..." Godric was horrified as all the pieces suddenly fell into place and he felt a huge rock of dread come up and slap him in the face. He met Louie's waiting eyes and said. "They want her soul don't they? So they can take her powers for their own."

"Yes, that's why they are coming after her. If they can capture her or she goes to them willingly, they will attempt to rip her soul out of her body. She won't die, but she will be an empty shell. But if these witches are as bad as you say they are, they will still kill her even after they get what they want. And if she refuses to give it to them, they will most likely torture her until she dies just to prove a point. They either get what they want or she can't go on living. It's as simple as that." Louie explained, his eyes drifting to the floor for a moment as he spoke. "They want her powers and the only way to get them is if they can separate the soul from her body. Or she gives it to them willingly."

"She would never do that though." Godric answered back quickly, his chest filling up with rage at this knowledge. "She would never give her soul up to these witches."

"They must know that and that has to be the reason they are striking out against her and the people around her. They probably think that if they do enough damage then she will give herself to them..."

"But then they would have all her power and we can't let that happen." Godric immediately got to his feet and shook his head. "We will protect her in every way we can and as soon as we can draw these witches out in the open, we will fight to the death."

"I don't think it's quite as easy as just fighting a battle, it's more complex then that and with their powers, they will control the battle more strongly then you can. You can't destroy them that way." Louie told him with a shrug of his shoulders. "They will keep recruiting more and more witches because of what they can gain from her. It will never stop, unless..."

"Unless what?" Godric turned back to look at the vampire who shared his age and frowned when he saw that Louie was looking away again, that meant that what he had stopped himself from saying was really bad. "Louie, tell me right now. They won't stop unless what?"

"Unless the thing that they want dies before they can get it." The taller vamp said reluctantly, freezing Godric in his place with just that one sentence and robbing him of any ability to move his own body. "Godric, do you understand what I am telling you?"

"No." Godric lied, hoping that the answer would be different then the one in his head but he knew it wouldn't be. And when Louie opened his mouth to deliver the final explanation, Godric was sure that his still heart was breaking.

"In order for these witches to stop attacking...the girl has to die."


	32. Fight for you

**Chapter 32 Fight for you**

_"It's bad Eric..it's really bad..."_

_"What did you find out?"_

_"These witches are after Allison because of her abilities...they are power hungry and will do anything to get that part of her...that's the reason behind the attacks...they figure if they push enough then she will give herself to them..."_

_"She would never do that though..."_

_"Exactly...and that's why unfortunately we must go to war...we have no choice now..."_

That was the biggest lie he had ever told not only in his vampire life, but also his human life. He was leading Eric to believe that going to war was going to be the answer that they all needed. And it was because Godric had decided to keep that one last piece of the puzzle to himself. He couldn't bear to deliver this kind of blow to his child, it would just destroy him and Godric just didn't have it in himself to say it just yet to Eric. He wouldn't keep it to himself for too long because that would be impossible, Eric would have to be told this tragic news. He would need to be prepared for what was to come but for right now Godric had to let him think there was hope. At least until he was able to break the news to Allison. It was only fair that she found out first since it was her this was going to happen to. And that in it self was going to be the harder conversation.

"Ok, so now that we know for sure what they want, it's time to start moving." Eric stated, breaking Godric free from his thoughts and he turned to see his child standing in the middle of the safe room with a determined look in his eyes and that just made Godric cringe because he knew it wouldn't make a difference. And Eric saw him make that expression. "What is it?"

"Nothing..now that we are talking about assembling an army, it just hit me that we have a dark road ahead of us." Godric quickly recovered and spat out, hoping he sounded convincing but even he wanted to hit himself for being so idiotic. Of course it was a dark road, because it was a road that would lead to Allison's death. But Eric couldn't know that yet. "But we can rise to the occasion and challenge this coven. It's just a matter of getting the right warriors."

"Who did you have in mind?" Eric asked, his face alert and ready to jump into action with all the heart of someone who had no idea that he was going to lose the love of his life sometime in the near future.

"We should probably get in touch with the vampires around here, which should be your job since you are Sheriff." Godric told him as if he truly believed this was a good plan. "I will get in touch with Isabel and my contacts in Dallas. There are bound to be vampires willing to fight against witches and the Fellowship."

"If they don't come willingly, then I will threaten them with bodily harm." Eric said this so seriously that Godric couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure you will do just that." He nodded at his child's tendency to use violence as a means to get what he wanted, but for once Godric was not going to reprimand him for it. "But speaking of doing something, there is something I wanted to do but I need your ok on it."

"It depends on what it is." Eric replied, looking briefly suspicious. "You're not going to ask me if its ok for you to seduce Allison away for yourself are you?"

"No no, nothing like that. You know I don't see her like that." Godric rolled his eyes at Eric still thinking that there could ever be a time when he suddenly wanted to take away the one source of happiness from his child. But he had to admit it did break the tension. "No I wanted to be the one tell her what I found out."

"It's probably better that you do it. I'm not very good at being sensitive and I know I will say something inappropriate if I were to tell her." Eric pressed his lips together with a frown. "So yea, you be the one to talk to her and tell her everything."

"Ok." Godric nodded and got up to walk out of the room to do just that. But as he was walking up the stairs to the main floor so he could go and find Allison, he was hit with the sudden notion that perhaps he should not tell her the entire truth.

Not yet anyway.

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

_"..i found out why they want you.."_

_"Your blood and more importantly, your power is very enticing to these witches and they want it...they will stop at nothing to capture you and take your abilities.."_

_"..and if they succeed, they will still end up killing you.."_

_"...and that's why we need to go to war...to kill them before they kill you."_

"Allison?" Godric's voice broke me out of the thoughts that were going off inside my head as I replayed his explanation from just minutes ago, trying to see if it would make me feel any different but it hadn't. And I guess I had stayed silent for longer then I thought because when Godric finally got my attention, he sounded worried just like I was but his face showed it more as he came over and sat next to me. "Are you ok?"

"I'm...I'm..." I frowned, struggling to find the right word to describe exactly what was going through me at that very moment. Normally I was good at articulating how I felt but tonight I just couldn't do it. And I must have been blocking Godric from feeling me because he was just waiting there for me to finish. And then suddenly it came to me and I turned to him with a frown. "I'm pissed off."

"Oh." Godric looked taken aback at my sudden words but there was an underlying hint of amusement there. "I wasn't quite expecting you to react like that."

"Well how did you think I would respond? That I would burst into tears, run to another room and refuse to come out or talk to anyone?" I asked, knowing full well that was my response pattern whenever anything unexpected was thrust on me. But for some reason, I wasn't doing that this time. I think it was because I had been pushed so much in the past year, coming so close to the edge that I was tired of it and I was ready to start pushing back. "I'm not going to do that Godric. Not this time. This time I am going to stand up for myself and my life."

"Allison, it's not as simple as..."

"It's ok Godric, you don't have to sugarcoat it because I won't do that, I can face reality and more importantly, what is suppose to happen to me." I told him with a wave of my hands and shook my head with a wide smile. "If those witches think I will just walk up to them and offer up my powers then they have another thing coming. They want a war, well they have one. And I'm telling you right now, I will not go down with out a fight."

"You know, I think it might be best if maybe you..."

"Godric, don't go there. I know you are going to say that I should stay behind while the rest of you fight but I can't do that so don't even say it." I told him, cutting off his protest before it could pick up speed. " I have no intention of backing down from these people. Just like I have no intention of giving myself to them.."

"I still think it would be best if you remained out of sight when the battle takes place." Godric insisted on saying despite me waving my arms like an idiot. "It would put us all at peace knowing we were fighting and you were safe rather then knowing you were in the battle itself."

"I know you want me to be safe, but you know me well enough to understand why I won't stay back and hide from them." I shook my head to show my refusal to keep out of it but Godric still tried to convince me not to do it.

"Allison, please don't make this harder then it has to be." He pleaded, his face straining as he moved to take my hand but I stood and moved away before he could. "Just do us all a favor and don't.."

"Don't ask me to do nothing because I can't do that." I felt a wave of emotion come over my body and it nearly choked me but I fought it back. "I have to go to battle with you guys or else I would never be able to live with myself. Either way I could possibly die, but I wont give myself to them if that happens. They can torture me all they want with their attacks, but I won't just give up. I would rather die in battle, knowing I fought for my life rather then die because I was alone and waiting to be picked off."

I then proceeded to walk across the room, intending to go out into the rest of the house to inform Eric of my decision. But as I walked by Godric and caught sight of his expression, it made me pause and look over my shoulder.

"Godric...what is it?" I watched his head turn towards me, his expression one of sorrow and melancholy, but when he focused on me, he smiled.

"It's nothing...nothing at all." But something told me I couldn't quite believe his words

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"Eric wait! I need to talk to you." Allison's voice called out to him just as he reached the front door of the house, preparing to step outside and fly off into the sky towards the bar. But at the sound of her approach, his hand left the handle and he stepped back inside to see her rushing towards him with her hair whipping back behind her before she skidded to a stop with her hair flying in front of her. She pushed it out of the way hurriedly and then said. "I need to talk to you."

"Yes I know, you already said that." Eric couldn't help but smirk as she blew a piece of hair of her cheek only for it to fall right back down in front of her eyes. He reached out, tucking it behind her ear and then said. "But go ahead and say whatever it is you want to say. But I already have a feeling that it's about what Godric went to talk to you about."

"It kind of is like that and then kind of not. I mean, he told me what he told you, you know about the witches wanting my powers and all and how a battle now has to be fought. But the reason I came after you isn't just to let you know that he told me, it's to make a point." She said in a rush, her words coming out in a jumble that would have been incoherent for human ears but not for a vampire like him. She set her hands on her hips and looked him straight in the eye. "When you guys go to war, I'm going with you."

"No you're not." Eric instantly said, his muscles turning to instant steel as she said this and he felt a flash of dread pass through him at the thought of this sweet little Faerie going into a big battle with vampires and witches and god only knows what else. She may have been full blooded Fae but looking at her and seeing her as the picture of innocence kept him from even considering letting her be anywhere near the battle scene. He shook his head and repeated, "No"

"No? What do you mean no?" She drew her forehead into a wrinkle of confusion, almost like she thought he had said the wrong thing. "You can't tell me no. and even if you do, you can't stop me."

"Oh don't think I won't try." He growled, feeling the slightly good mood he had been holding on to slip away and he was overcome by the heat of this fight he was about to have with her. It wasn't going to be a disagreement, he knew that. It was going to be a full fledged fight and as innocent as she looked, she could still be outspoken if she needed to. But he was going to stop her before she even got to that point. "Don't defy me Allison. When I say no, that's it. End of discussion."

"Uh, I do not think so. This is not over by a long shot." She grabbed him by the arm when he made a move to step back out the door but she placed herself in his path and frowned up at him. "You can't force me to do what you say. You're not my maker, I don't have to listen to you."

"It doesn't matter." He snapped, clenching his fists at his side.

"It does matter." She shot back, obviously not backing down either.

"Do not piss me off Allison." He muttered darkly, flashing out a hand and grabbed her wrist to pull her out of his way and pushed her against the wall despite the brief look of fear that passed through her eyes. He kept a firm grip on her so she knew he was more serious and said. "I said to you before that you will not be fighting in this war when it happens and I mean it even more now. I won't let you put yourself in danger like this. It's not right."

"But why is it right for you?" She demanded, the fear gone and was now being replaced by a set of angry tears. "Why is it ok for you to risk your life fighting for me but I can't do the same for you?"

"Because it's not about me, it's about you." He hissed, his fingers getting just a little bit tighter on her arm as he stepped closer to make a point. "Its about you and the whole reason we are going to war is to keep your ass alive. You won't stay alive for long if you walk into battle with the very people trying to capture you. So stop being such an annoying little bitch and stay put."

"You are such an a asshole." She exclaimed when he released her and moved towards the doorway to leave without saying a word. But he hadn't even gotten outside before he felt an immense force hot him square in the back, nearly throwing him down the steps to the ground. He whipped around with a glare, seeing Allison waving at him just as the light disappeared from her hands before she waved and sarcastically said. "Have a good night."

And then she proceeded to slam the door in his face without waiting for him to respond.

* * *

><p><em><span>Late that night<span>_

"Stupid vampire. Stupid, stupid vampire...stupid viking...can't stand you." I said this out loud as I laid on my bed in the dark with my arms crossed tightly over me and stared up at the ceiling as if Eric himself was hovering there mocking me for our fight earlier. I narrowed my eyes and growled. "I hate you."

Of course I didn't mean it, I was only saying it out of frustration and anger but I still enjoyed saying it because it let me release some of the pent up fury that had been building since I had basically pushed Eric out of the house. It was stupid the way we fought and the logical side of me knew that his bossiness was only coming from a place of love and I shouldn't have taken it as far as I did. I knew what Eric was like when his temper was short circuited, but yet I pushed his buttons because I had to make him understand that although I loved him and we were living in his house, that didn't mean he could tell me what I could and couldn't do. He didn't have the power to dictate my life and I wasn't going to have him think he could for the slightest second. I knew he was worried about how I would be in a battle and I knew it scared him to think of me in the midst of all that, but if he was willing to fight for me, then it was only right that I got to do the same. What did he honestly expect me to do? Sit at home knowing that everyone I knew and loved was out there somewhere fighting to the death? I don't think so. Its not that I wanted to put myself in danger but this war was being started because of me. And I couldn't just be lazy and let everyone else fight my battle. I needed to fight too and even though Eric wouldn't want me to be near it, he didn't have a choice in what I did. I was a grown woman and I would go to war with my loved ones if I wanted to.

"I thought you would be asleep by now." A deep voice spoke up from the doorway and I turned my head to see the vampire in question leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and a blank expression on his face. I wondered how long he had been standing there watching me.

"I would have been asleep but this asshole vampire I'm in love with decided to be more of an asshole tonight and I can't stop thinking about it." I said smartly, turning my head swiftly back upright so I my eyes were on the ceiling and not Eric. "He tried to be rough with me because I wouldn't do what he said."

"He sounds like a real dick." Eric played along, his voice steady as he left the doorway and I could see his outline on the side of the bed. "But maybe he wants to apologize for his tool bag behavior."

"Well, if you see him then send him on in. I wouldn't mind hearing what he has to say." I let my eyes drifted to the right, Eric's body filling my sight and I couldn't help but sit up against the pillows and reach over to flick on the light so I could really see him. Once I was able to look into his eyes, I frowned. "I guess you did find the asshole."

"The asshole...was acting stupid earlier and he very reluctantly wants to say sorry." Eric said slowly, as if apologizing still wasn't coming naturally to him even though he often had to do it around me. Eric stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I will apologize for talking to you the way I did and for almost hurting you. But I won't take back anything I said because I stand by it."

"Well, I'm sorry for essentially throwing you out the door." I smirked briefly as I remembered the image of lifting my hand to send a beam of light at his shoulder blades that caused him to trip down the steps. He didn't seem amused but I didn't care. "And just like you, I don't take what I said back either."

"Then I guess we are at crossroads." Eric pulled his hands back out and motioned for me to move over which I did, watching Eric swing his long form onto the bed next to me. "I can't apologize for saying those things because you know I was only saying them because I love you and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I get that Eric, I really do but just because you are scared of what may happen it doesn't give you the right to assume that you can make my decisions for me. It doesn't work like that." I told him, keeping my eyes starring straight ahead as I spoke. It was easier to get out what I was feeling if I wasn't looking at him. "I know you want to keep me safe but you can't expect me to just sit back when there is a war going on and you are going to fight for me and possibly die in the process. This war is about me and I can't just let everyone else risks their lives and not do anything about it."

"We're fighting for you. So if you were to join in, then our efforts would be in vain. Because there is a good chance that you could die." Eric said bluntly as I knew he would so it didn't bother me. "And that's what I am trying to keep from happening."

"But it's my choice to make, you can't make it for me." I turned my body to face him and sighed. "Eric, I'm going to tell you what I told Godric. Whether I go to war or not, there is just as great a chance of these witches finding me anyway. So either option is going to have me facing death. If I stay hidden, they can find me and try to torture me for my soul and then kill me anyway. But at least if I go into battle with you, and I die, then at least I would die knowing I was fighting back."

"Don't talk about you dying, I hate how you say it so casually." Eric hissed, his face ghosting over with a look of pain that I could feel through our bond and it made me flinch. "I don't want to even think about it."

"I'm just being realistic and that's why I need you to understand that ultimately...it's not up to you. Sorry but it's not." I replied honestly, reaching out to touch him and I wrapped my hand around his large wrist. "I know it hurts you because you don't like not being in control. But you have to trust me and what I do. It will always be for the right reasons. I wouldn't be doing this unless I thought it would be beneficial."

"I just..." Eric began to speak but then his voice trailed off and he was silent for a while. I let him go and just leaned on my side against the pillows and waited for him to go on because I knew he would. And eventually he opened his mouth again. "I just get a little crazy at the thought of losing you."

"Eric..." I scooted closer to him, placing my hands on his face and turned his head so we were looking at each other and all tension and awkwardness was gone from both us by what I said next. "You'll never lose me, I will be here with you forever."

"I'm going to hold you to that." He said, pulling down my hands and then yanked me forward into his arms so I was lying on his chest with a smile on my face, glad that our fight had been pushed aside and all was right with us for the moment.

Eventually we both relaxed and sank further into each others arms just as naturally as we would have if there hadn't been a fight earlier in the night. I cuddled up as closely as I could in the curve of his arm, finding safety in his embrace and glad to know that I could disagree with him and still feel the same way about him when we were close. It was a nice feeling laying there with the former viking, with the only light coming from the nightstand and the sound of my steady breathing filling the air. It was so calming and tranquil that I could feel my eyelids getting heavy and I knew sleep wasn't going to be far off. I yawned quietly, tucking my head under his chin while his fingers came up to comb through my hair in a hypnotic way. I was just falling under when I felt him shuffle around before his quiet voice said two words I was not expecting him to say.

"Marry me."

I shot up faster then I ever thought possible and then for a reason I couldn't even begin to understand, I crawled backwards so he and I were no longer touching. The sound of rushing blood and my pounding heart filling my ears as I stared at him in complete and utter shock.

"Excuse me?" I couldn't comprehend what the reasoning would be for him suddenly to say something like that to me out of no where when just minutes ago we were close to another argument. My heart was beating so fast that I had to put my hands on my chest to make sure it hadn't popped out in surprise. "What did you just say?"

"Marry me." He repeated, solidifying that what I had heard was not a mistake and if possible, my heart sped up even faster. Eric sat up, pulling one leg up close to him so he could set his elbow on his knee before he said it again. "Marry me Allison."

"You can't be serious." I gasped, realizing the significance of what he was saying and I could feel myself starting to cower away from the idea, shaking my head. "You're not serious...you're not serious..."

"Yes I am. I am completely serious." He told me, sitting there watching me without making any move towards me which was probably for the best, I don't know if I could handle him touching me right now. Not when our future was hanging in the balance by his simple two word statement. "I want us to be married, I want you to be my wife. So say yes."

I could only stare at him with my mouth open wide. It was such a surreal moment that I almost thought I really had fallen asleep but I knew I hadn't. The frenzied heartbeat and the heat in my face were clues that I was definitely awake and witnessing a moment that I never thought I would have. Sure I had spoken to Sookie about it and how if it ever happened by some miracle, that I would be happy. And now here it was, right before me just like I had thought it would be. Eric was asking me to be his wife, I should have been jumping up and down screaming out of happiness. But I wasn't. I was just sitting there, hesitating from saying anything. I should have been saying yes. I shouldn't be taking this long to say yes to a question I had only dreamed about being asked. It was Eric Northman for god sakes. Didn't I just say to Sookie not that long ago that if he ever asked I would say yes in a heartbeat? So why wasn't that happening?

Because something didn't feel right. I felt that in my heart. It wasn't coming to me right away but I knew it was there. Something was telling me not to accept this sudden proposal. That it wasn't the right time to be saying yes because something was wrong and I just didn't know what. So I looked at him and shook my head.

"No." I watched as my answer reached him and at first I thought he hadn't heard me because he still wore that expectant expression so I had to try again, trying to be as gentle as possible. "Eric, I'm sorry. But I cannot say yes."

Eric stared at me for what felt like the longest minute of my life as I watched the realization dawn on him and his entire face turned dark and icy. And then I felt a gust of wind rush by me, blowing my hair back as he left the room without a word.


	33. Between fight and flight

**Chapter 33 Between fight and flight**

_"Marry me"_

_"No...I'm sorry but no."_

I couldn't move from my spot on the bed as I relived those words in my head for what seemed like the hundredth time in the span of 20 minutes since Eric had fled from the room after I turned down his proposal. It still felt so surreal that I could only sit there, playing it over to make sure it had actually happened. And as Eric's blank face appeared in my mind and felt the briefest flash of pain shoot through me and I knew it wasn't my own, I knew it was very real. Eric was hurting and that had never been my intention at all when I said no. I should have expected that he wouldn't stick around to let me explain, after all Eric was a vampire that ran off of his anger. And he was definitely angry. And that was the very thing that made me jump to my feet and dart out of the room. I need to find Eric and make him see my side of things before it could get worse then it already was. I had barely gotten to the bottom of the stairs before I saw the front door open and I felt my heart leap into my throat, thinking it was Eric. But it wasn't, it was Godric coming through the door and when his eyes landed on me, they turned dark.

Oh this was not good.

"Godric, let me explain." I immediately said, holding up my hands in defense because I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he knew exactly what was going on and I needed to at least explain things to him so at least he knew I wasn't trying to hurt Eric. "It's not what you..."

"How could you do that?" He asked, his voice coming out not in the way I thought it would. His face showed anger and I thought he would begin yelling at me first thing but he didn't. Instead his voice was full of disappointment and sorrow. "How could you hurt Eric like that?"

"I didn't mean to hurt him. But he didn't give me a chance to tell him why I said no, he just ran off." I said slowly, biting my bottom lip as I watched Godric step into the front hallway with cautious steps as if he were afraid of his own actions. "You have to know I wouldn't intentionally set out to cause him any pain..."

"I just don't understand how you could do this. He asked you to marry him Allison. Marriage! Do you have any idea how rare that is for a vampire to do? Especially one like Eric?" He asked, staring at me rather intensely as he spoke, forcing me to direct my eyes at the floor in shame. "He allowed himself to be vulnerable with you by asking you to be his wife and instead of appreciating it, you shot him down and now he's hurting."

"Just let me explain..."

"Eric does not let himself be vulnerable with anyone. And when he does let that happen, it is a very rare occurrence, sometimes happening only once every hundred years. And I know that to be true since I have been with him for a thousand years. It's so rare for him to be like this, so damn rare." Godric shook his head at me when I looked up, shamed that he was looking at me like I wasn't even there. "No one else has ever made it this far with Eric and he has never allowed himself to be this close to anyone. And you blew it."

"You're acting like I could care less about how he is feeling when it is the exact opposite. Of course I care that I hurt him and of course I knew how rare this is for Eric to do something like this, trust me the significance is not lost. But I have a reason for saying no and if you would just let me..."

"I'm sorry Allison but I do not have time to let you explain. I have to go after Eric and talk to him to make sure he doesn't do something he regrets out of anger. I only came here to let you know how angry I am with you for your actions. And if I could stay here and talk longer, then I might be ready to let you explain, but I can't do that." Godric replied, leaning against a round table with his hand laying flat on it to keep himself balanced as he looked at me blankly. "You need to stay here and not go looking for Eric. He won't want to see you, so stay put."

"Godric please." I called out to him as he moved away from me and headed back to the door with the same slowly and steady steps he had come in with. But he stopped at the door when I called out to him again. "I love Eric, you know that. So please don't turn against me like this."

"Allison, you're my friend and you always will be.." He began to say, one hand on the door knob, preparing to open it. "But right now I feel like you betrayed that friendship by hurting Eric the way you did."

And then he was gone, shutting the door behind before I could even formulate a response and when it was silent again, I sank to the cold tile and started crying.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"How did you find me?"

"You're my child, I know you better then I know myself. I just followed you through our bond and here you are." Godric explained, standing off to the side of his progeny's hunched over body in the grass and stuck his hands in his pockets. He knew that once Eric had taken off after explaining everything that it would be hard to track him unless he opened up their bond and used it to find him. And that was what had lead him here to this small lake where Eric was currently sitting on the banks of it, staring at the water silently. It made Godric frown to see his child looking so...human. He had to say something, something that would ease the pain that was running rampant through his child's blood. Godric couldn't bear to see Eric this distressed, it tore him up inside. "Eric..."

"Godric, don't." Eric turned his head to stare up at him and instead of the usual expression of anger and frustration that Godric had been expecting to see, there was a look of pure sorrow there. "I know what you are going to say and I am begging you not to go there."

"You're in pain Eric and I don't wish to see you like this. It torments me." Godric told him with a shake of his head, moving so that he was also sitting down in the dark grass with his hands folded over each other as he laid his arms on his knees. "What Allison did, I know it pains you..."

"I never thought she would say no. I thought if I ever decided to do something so incredibly stupid and human as to ask her to marry me that she would say yes in a heartbeat. I mean, ever since we got back together she has said she wanted us to be together forever. And then like an idiot, I put myself out there expecting her to reciprocate and she shoots it down." Eric growled, his fist curling into the dirt as he spoke and Godric could now feel the anger that was building up rapidly now that the floodgates had been open. "I don't do this shit Godric.."

"I know..."

"I don't get attached to humans...and I certainly don't fall in love.."

"I know that as well.."

"But I loved her and I actually managed to convince myself that I could be happy being with her and just her for the rest of our immortal lives. And now look what happened." Eric snapped, sending his glare out across the water as if Allison was standing there mocking him. "I made myself look weak and vulnerable..."

"There's nothing wrong with a vampire being vulnerable, it doesn't happen often but when it does it is a good thing. And you should be able to do that with Allison." Godric tried to get his child to believe that, but it was very hard to sound convincing when Godric himself was fighting his own feelings of anger towards this girl. The logical side of him knew she didn't set out to hurt Eric and that she must have a good reason for turning down the proposal. But the other side of him, the side that was more strongly bonded to his child was mad because she put Eric in a position where he didn't know how to deal with his feelings of anguish and fury over her actions. He looked at Eric and said. "Just because I'm trying to make you talk about what happened, doesn't mean that I'm not on your side. I am always on your side and you're not the only one mad at her for saying no."

"I'm just so incredibly mad at her that I'm afraid of being in the same room with her." Eric confessed, his fists curling even tighter into the ground. "I might hurt her if I were to see her now. That's why I left so quickly."

"You do tend to let your anger take over." Godric nodded understandingly and placed his hand on Eric's shoulder. "But you won't hurt her and once the anger passes, you two will need to talk about this."

"But not right now. Right now I can't stand to look at her and I have no desire to see her." Eric spat this out so harshly that Godric could feel the sting of his words and was glad that Eric was not around the girl. He may be mad at Allison but that didn't mean he wanted her to be hurt by an angry Eric. Eric loosened his grip on the ground and turned his focus back to the water. "I won't go back to the house. I can't do it."

"That's ok, I understand completely." Godric nodded, patting his progeny before he too looked ahead across the water. "We can just remain here until you're ready."

"Thank you Godric."

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

I couldn't take it anymore.

I couldn't take staying in that house any longer.

I was feeling trapped...tormented...and the most crushing of all, suffocated. All I could focus on was what I had done and what I had not been able to do. It was horrible being left with all these thoughts and no way to get them out. And the longer I sat there with only myself to talk, the more it seemed to rob me of my ability to breathe. I couldn't do this, I couldn't stay here. I know Godric had basically forbidden me from leaving the house, and I didn't want to piss him off even further but there was just no way I could remain here without going completely insane. I was on the verge of losing my sanity and the walls kept on closing in on me.

I couldn't do this.

I felt an intense need to take off into the night. I had to get out.

So I did.

I got up out of my bed, stuffed my feet into some sneakers and grabbed my car keys. I was so filled with maniac energy at the time that I practically flew down the winding staircase in my attempt to get out of there. I barely remembered to shut the light off and lock the door because I was so desperate to get out of there. And when I finally jumped behind the wheel and took off down the long driveway, I hit the accelerator so fast that the tires squealed and threw up a cloud of dust as I sped away from the house and into the night. I didn't know where I was going just yet and figured that I would decide once I was off the back streets and on the main highway. Right now I was just relishing the feel of doing something that would get me out of that suffocating environment until I could compose myself again.

But now where would I go?

I couldn't go to Bill's house because he and Sookie were living there full time now and I didn't feel right about bursting in on them and inviting my personal problems into their lives. I couldn't go back to my old house because it no longer existed and that brought on a pang of pain in my chest that already added to the torment I was carrying around. I had made sure that I put up as many mental blocks as I could so not only could Sookie not hear my thoughts, but also so neither Godric or Eric could feel me through our bonds. It was a lot of work to do and it was probably very stupid of me to close them off, but I just did not want to have any connection to them right now. I was in my car driving away from the memories of tonight and allowing them to feel my emotions was just going to hurt me even more. I knew what I had done and how badly I had hurt Eric, Godric made that perfectly clear. And right now I just needed some peace. But that brought me back to the very same question.

Where would I go?

I sighed heavily, pushing back the long strands of hair that blew in my face from the wind of the open window and just set my elbow on the door as I drove down the empty highway, not another car in sight. It was peaceful being on this long stretch of road with fields of tall grass on either side of me. It made me feel like I was the only one in the world and in some ways I liked that. After the events of tonight, I just needed to be away from everything and have a chance to reconnect with myself. Maybe once I had driven long enough I would be able to calm myself and turn around. Maybe by then I would be able to return to my new home and be able to wait patiently for Eric. Maybe everything would turn out ok and this night could still end on a good note. It was a long shot, but I was willing to still hold on to hope that things would be ok. I really believed they would be. They had to be. I may have said no to marrying Eric, but that didn't mean I didn't love him. I had my reasons for saying no, and I just hoped that whenever we met again, that he would give me the chance to explain them to him. Once that happened, then I was fairly certain that we could put this night behind us and be happy again.

But because my luck sucked, it didn't seem like it was going to happen that way.

I was still driving that long and empty highway and still had not encountered any other car when I heard a strange crackling inside my head. At first I thought Sookie was trying to listen in on me but this wasn't the sound of my cousin entering my head. It was the sounds of thoughts nearby that my mind was latching on to without me even being aware of it. At first I couldn't get any words from it, all I could see was flashes of red and see this person's thought as they ran through a field of tall grass.

Tall grass. Like the grass on either side of the highway.

I quickly shot my eyes back and forth to both sides of the road, trying to see if I could spot whoever it was that seemed to have followed me once I turned off the back street and onto this highway. But there was nothing. I could still hear the crackling in my ears and the flashes of red that rimmed the edges of this thing's thoughts and that's when it hit me. I wasn't just hearing someone's thoughts.

I was hearing the thoughts of a werewolf.

It was only a few seconds after I had realized this when I heard a loud thud come down on the hood of my car as my eyes were focused on the grass and I turned my sight forward to see a large naked man clinging to the front of my car with a wild look in his eyes as he stared through the windshield at me. This was the wolf I had been hearing and his sudden appearance took me by surprise so much that I couldn't stop myself from jerking the wheel to the right to try and throw him off my car. But I turned the wheel too much and the tires ran off the side of the road and before I could even let out my first scream, the car began to tumble.

I could barely even brace myself as the car turned over but I tried my best. I was thankfully that I had remembered to strap on my seat belt and it was what had saved me from flying through the car when it rolled down that short hill into the ditch. I hung on to whatever I could to keep my body from moving too much, feeling the ground shake under me as the car rolled a few more times. My feet were braced against the floor as strongly as I could manage despite the continuous way the sky turned into the ground and then into the sky again. I think I must have hit my head on the window because one second my head was fine and the next I was feeling a blinding pain and a wetness beginning to drip down my face. I knew I was bleeding and that it was bad, but that was the least of my worries as my car rolled one more time and finally came to a stop upside down with me still strapped into my seat as all the blood rushed to my head and made it throb. My vision was dizzy and made me feel like I was still rolling downhill and I had to grab the arms of the driver's seat to steady myself. Once I was able to calm myself down enough to be aware of what had just happened, I began to stretch out my limbs trying to see if I had suffered any more injuries without noticing, but there was none. The cut on my head appeared to be the only thing to happen to me in this sudden crash and I sighed gratefully. It hurt like a bitch, but it could have been so much worse then this and I would continue to remind myself of this fact as my hands fumbled to my waist to reach for the belt buckle to release myself. It took a second, as I was not use to having to undo it from upside down, but I eventually got it and I tumbled down in a heap on the ceiling, landing in between the seats and having the wind knocked out of me as I rolled over and looked around me.

My car had just rolled to the edges of the tall grass and if I looked out the window, I could still see the highway from here. I smiled and then proceeded to stretch myself out so I could break the window with my foot. It took a few hits but eventually the thin glass shattered, allowing me a way to push my body through and crawl out of the wreckage. It was a good thing I was tiny, because the window frame was small and wouldn't have allowed room for any one else bigger then me to get out. But I managed to do just that and when I was finally free of the car, I used it to pull myself up to my feet and breath in the chilly night air as my eyes shot across the field to look for the figure that had caused me to swerve off the road in the first place, but it was no where to be seen. Maybe I had killed it when my car was rolling down into this ditch, and the body had rolled into the grass.

"How did a werewolf manage to jump on my car like..." I hadn't even been able to stand up completely straight before I felt a heavy force hit me from behind and send me flying to the ground before I could even blink. I had hit the cold grass hard when I heard a deep growl come from the field to the side of the wreckage and I turned my head just in time to see the naked man shift down into a rather intimidating looking black wolf who was now scrapping the dirt with it's paws, like he was challenging me to a fight. I shook my head as I pushed myself up to my feet, not about to let this thing lay one hand on me. If he thought he could kill me this easily then he had another thing coming. I hadn't lied when I said to Eric earlier that I was going to start fighting back against the world. And that rang true as I watched this wolf lower its head, preparing to charge and I scoffed, "Oh hell no bitch. You do not want to mess with me."

_"Hmm...she smells fucking good."_

_"I can smell the vampire blood inside of her...her blood smells just as good too...oh man, the high I can get off of that combo..."_

_"I don't think the witches would mind if I tasted just a little bit of her..."_

"Don't even think about it." I snapped, hearing those disgusting thoughts in my head just as the wolf charged and sprang at me, it's paws extended and prepared to slice me open. But I was prepared, more prepared then I thought I was and I had barely raised my arms in front of my before an invisible force was meeting the wolf in the air and pushing him back away from me, flinging him back to the ground as I stepped further away from the wreckage. If I was going to have to fight this wolf, then I needed an open space or else he could trap me.

"They weren't lying about your powers were they?" The wolf had shifted back into his natural form and I was able to see that this guy was broadly built and taller even then Eric, with a messy mop of black hair and eyes just as dark as we stood across from each other on that stretch of grass. He laughed when I turned my body into a fighting stance, seeming to think this was amusing. "You really think you can overcome me? Sweetheart, I'm a fucking werewolf. And while you may be strong, you are no match for me."

"You want to test that theory?" I should have kept my mouth shut but I couldn't help but say something back to wipe that smug look off his face. And I had enough faith in my powers to know that I could back up my claims. If I can overpower Eric, then I can overpower a werewolf. I just had to stay focused. "Come on...i dare you to try something."

"Oh, you are saucy. That's kind of hot." He smirked, looking me up and down with those creepy looking eyes and nodded. "Maybe Newlin was wrong about you. Maybe we should keep you alive."

"Newlin's a dick!" I exclaimed, watching as my words sparked a rage inside of him and he was back to his wolf form quickly then I thought possible and then he was charging again. Only this time he was faster then I was and he was on top of me within a second. I could feel his hot breath on my face and I could see his teeth snapping at my body, trying to get a bite. I threw up my hands, the white light bursting through my fingers and hitting the wolf in the shoulder, knocking him off me while I blinked to get my vision to clear. And then he struck again, but this time in a way I wasn't expecting.

I thought if he ever got a chance at me that it would be to bite me so he could taste my blood, but that wasn't the case as I felt a blinding pain rip through the side of my ribcage as he shoved one of his hind legs into my side, successfully breaking three of my ribs and leaving me cowering on the ground in a crying heap. I couldn't allow myself to be distracted by the pain or else I was going to end up dead or kidnapped by this wolf. So even though it was extremely hard to breathe at the moment and I was sure I would fall over from the wave of anguish, I pushed through it and got back to my feet with my hands ready to fight out in front of me.

What happened next turned me into something I never thought I would become.

A killer.

The wolf was circling me now, waiting for the right second to pounce on me again and hopefully incapacitate me enough to the point where I couldn't fight back. But I was not ready to let that happen and so I focused all my energy and strength into my fingers and hands, just watching for the window of opportunity to come when I could make a move. And a minute later it did. I stared deep into the wolf's eyes, hearing him think about how much fun it would be to taste my unique blood before he would cart me off to Dallas to hand me off to the witches and I shivered out of disgust. He scrapped at the ground like he was going to throw himself back into the air and take me down, with those bared teeth and that deep growl that echoed across the empty field and highway. In a flash he moved, heading straight towards me like he had the first time preparing to sink his claws into me but I was already ready for him. And with all the strength in my hands, I directed it right at the space below his jaw line and twisted my fingers. I heard a sickening snap and a cry of pain, telling me that I had just broken his neck before he fell to the ground in a dead heap, back in his natural form. And then, all was quiet again.

I stared at this sight in horror, hardly believing I had done what I just did. I had killed a werewolf so easily when I had never had to kill anything bigger then a bug in my life. I don't know how that made me feel exactly. I mean this wolf was coming after me, trying to hurt me and then take me away. I was protecting myself by fighting back and then having no choice but to kill him. There was no reason for me to feel anything but relief at the fact that I was standing here alive. But seeing this wolf lying dead at my feet as a man and not an animal, it made me feel like a murderer even though he had been the one sent after me. I had every right to fight back and do what I did. He could have killed me and I couldn't have that. I couldn't just let this happen to me. So I fought back and killed him, turning me into a killer despite the circumstances.

I could see my breath hang in the air as I stared down at him, not sure what to do as I began to feel the pain start to set in from my injuries. I knew I couldn't stay here and there was no telling if there were others out there in the field waiting to attack. I had to move now but before I could begin walking that road to hopefully find a payphone, I would have to get rid of this body. So I held my hands out in front of me, using all my focus to lift that dead naked body off the ground and direct it into the air above the tall grass where I would drop it somewhere in the middle of the field where no one could find it. When I had moved the body far enough out, I dropped my hands and it disappeared from sight but I could hear the thud as it landed on the ground in the grass before the night was silent once more.

"I can't believe I just did that." I whispered to myself, as I began backing towards the incline that lead back up to the road. It took quite a bit of effort being as that my ribs were almost in two pieces and it was very hard to move without gasping out in pain. But I managed to do it and soon I was standing in the edge of the highway with the road empty in both directions. I looked to my right, the place of my destination before I had gotten into the accident and started moving that way. I should have opened my bonds and allowed Eric and Godric to come to my rescue but I didn't. I couldn't let them help me when I was the cause for them being away from the house in the first place. No, I would suffer along by myself until I reached a house or a store where I could call for help and I ride back to Shreveport.

Until then, I just hoped that I could make it back in one piece and not meet any other werewolves.

* * *

><p><em><span>40 minutes later<span>_

"She's not here." Eric's voice spoke for the first time in almost an hour as they walked into the empty house he resided in with Allison and saw that all the light were off and there was no sign of her anywhere. Her scent and heartbeat were no where to be picked up in the entire house and they didn't even need to look to know she wasn't there. Their vampire sense told them all they needed to know and as Eric turned to him in the darkness, Godric couldn't help but wonder if this was it. Eric didn't seem to think so as his words proved that. "Where did she run off to.?"

"I have no idea. I made it very clear that she needed to remain here in this house. And then what does she do? She disobeys me. Why does that not surprise me?" Godric growled, feeling his anger crash into his worry and annoyance and he fought the urge to rush into the next room and start destroying furniture in order to calm himself. "She knows very well this is not the time to be running out alone when there are forces beyond our control right now. She knows this and yet she doesn't take it seriously. She could be hurt."

"I think we would feel it Godric." Eric reminded him, standing in the middle of the front foyer with his long arms hanging down at his sides and a blank look on his face. "She's fine."

"I would think you would be more worried about her being out alone this late at night." Godric said, watching his child for any sign of emotion but there was none and that couldn't have been shocking. Even without Eric talking about it anymore, Godric could still feel the pain his progeny felt over Allison saying no to his proposal of marriage. But still, Godric had been expecting Eric to at least show some kind of concern. "You are worried aren't you?"

"Should I be?" Eric asked casually, raising his eyebrows and shrugging as if it were no big deal and they didn't even need to be talking about it. But Godric knew that was only coming from a place of hurt. "I mean, its like I already said. If she was in trouble, we would feel it."

"Yea, that may be true. But have you felt anything from her since you left the house?" Godric asked curiously with a frown as he took that second to push at his bond with Allison to see if he could get a sense of where she was or at least what she was feeling. It took a second before he could get anything, but eventually he felt a rush frustration and torment and knew that she while she was hurting, she was ok. He quickly looked at Eric and said. "I felt her, she's fine."

"Ok." Eric shrugged once again and turned to walk away.

"Eric, I only felt that little bit because she was pushing back at the bond. She doesn't want me to feel her." Godric explained, following after his child as the former viking threw himself down on the couch in the living room and laid there looking at the fire like nothing was wrong. He didn't seem to be grasping the seriousness of the situation. "She's had those bonds closed all night."

"And that's my problem because..." Eric was being very nonchalant about this and maybe Godric hadn't given enough thought that Eric was more wounded by tonight then he was willing to admit.

"Eric, I know she hurt you by saying no but I know you still care about her despite the anger and betrayal you feel." Godric had to point out to remind his child of the love he still had for the woman who had basically stomped on his frozen heart. "So please take me seriously when I tell you this is something to worry about."

"If you can feel that she's ok, then there is nothing to worry about." Eric hissed, his blue eyes almost turning black out of fury. "We'll deal with her when she comes back. If there is a reason to think she is in trouble then we will go and find her. But until then, I have no urge to go seek out the woman who somehow made it possible for me to feel human again. I hate that feeling."

"I'm always going to take your side, you know that. And that will never change." Godric assured his child, standing by his word to always side with his progeny. Because he too was just as hurt by Allison's refusal to say yes to marriage as Eric was. She claimed to love him and that she wanted to be with him forever, but yet when Eric tried to make it official she shot him done. So Godric himself had his own issues with Allison to work out. He hated that she had hurt Eric the way she did, but he was still worried about her well being. "But I don't want this problem with Allison to cloud either of our judgments.."

"We'll see if that happens..."

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"Ok, good. He's not back yet." I whispered to myself in relief as I stumbled down the long driveway towards the tall building and saw that all the lights were still off just as I had left them, showing that Eric had not come home yet. In a way I was sad because that meant I couldn't explain myself to him until he decided he wanted to hear it. But then again, with him not being in the house that meant I could get inside and upstairs to the bathroom to clean myself up and get some pain pills in my system before I had to face anyone and explain what had happened. By the time I reached the front door, my ribs were basically screaming at me and I had to pause to gather my strength for the trek upstairs. I leaned against the door for a minute, feeling the blood trickling down the side of my head and I knew that would be the first thing I would have to attend to. The last thing I needed was Eric to come home and smell all this blood and have it distract us from talking about the real issue and that was us. So I was going to haul ass to the bathroom to fix myself as best I could. If I had to, then I would go to the hospital since I doubted Eric would be coming home tonight.

I pushed myself through the door and quickly locked it behind me, paranoid that some other enemy was going to pounce on me and I was not in a state to fight back right now. I was barely able to stand up straight with the sharp sting of my broken ribs shooting through me every time I moved. And I as I moved my hand along the wall for the light switch, the only thing I could think of besides the pain was that I hoped I wasn't leaving bloody hand prints on the wall. But before I could even find the switch, the lights came on suddenly and illuminated two figures standing in the foyer ahead of me. They weren't intruders or enemies or werewolves. They were vampires, and they were two vampires who were looking at me with the more horribly disgusted look on their faces. I was about to open my mouth and say something when they beat me to it just as they had with the light.

"What happened to you?"

"Why the fuck do you reek of werewolf?"

"How come we didn't feel your pain?"

"Why do you smell like a werewolf?"

"Explain yourself.."

"WHAT IS WITH THE WEREWOLF SCENT?"

"Ok, calm down the both of you. Your voices are making my head pound and I'm already in enough pain as it is." I shot back, using the back of my hand to wipe a drip of blood off my forehead as I walked slowly into the hallway, keeping my other hand firmly on my ribcage. "I will explain everything but stop yelling."

"Start with why neither of us felt you in pain when you clearly look like you have been in a fight." Godric demanded angrily, but even with the animosity between us I could still sense a paternal protectiveness coming from him.

"I was blocking my bonds to the two of you because I didn't want to feel either of you. And I didn't want you to feel me." I explained, tucking a piece of hair dried by blood behind my hear and I could see Eric stir slightly, knowing my blood in that much quantity was very appealing to him. "And I wasn't in a fight, at least not yet. I was in a car accident."

"This is why I never let you drive." Eric growled from across the hallway where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"It wasn't my fault, I heard a werewolf's thoughts right before he pounced onto the hood of my car and it surprised me so much that I swerved off the road and my car tumbled down a small hill." I shot back, not appreciating that he was blaming my driving skills on my current appearance. "I wasn't hurt really in the car crash, just the cut on my head. But it was when I got out out in the open that the real fight began."

"So you got into a fight with a werewolf? Well that's just perfect." Godric threw his hands up in the air, looking very much the part of a worried father as he whipped over to me with a glare. "This is why you don't block your blood bonds with vampires. If we had known you were in trouble, we would have come and helped you."

"Would you have done that? Even after you made it clear that I had betrayed our friendship by what I did?" I couldn't help but remind Godric of his last statement to me that almost hurt me worse then the accident and the fight. I shook my head. "I didn't need you to come and rescue me. I may have gotten hurt, but I killed him first."

"And then you decided to walk home covered in blood where any other vampire could have attacked you because they could smell you a smile away. That's real smart Allison." Eric's voice was dark as he spoke to me and that shouldn't have surprised me being as that I had seen how hurt he had been when I said no to him earlier. He rolled his eyes and pointed to my side where my hand still was. "Broken ribs again?"

"3 to be exact." I nodded, lifting up the hem of my shirt to show the swollen area, wincing as I had to raise my arms above me before I quickly dropped them down. "Werewolves kick hard when they are in animal form but I'm fine."

"Yea, clearly you are fine." Eric replied sarcastically, pulling away from the wall and walked towards me with his wrist raised to his mouth, the distinct sound of fangs clicking out filled the air. "Get over here and let me heal you. You must have dropped your mental blocks because I can feel your pain and I don't need to be feeling that. So take my blood."

"No." I immediately shook my head, backing away as quickly as I could from the sight of his now bleeding wrist, shocking him with my actions. "I'm sorry but no. I don't want you to heal me."

"This is not the time to be stubborn Allison, you have injuries that need healing. So just let Eric help you." Godric hissed, looking at me with narrowed eyes in a way he never had before and if anything it just made me back away further.

"I said no, I won't take Eric's blood because I don't deserve to feel better." I snapped, feeling a tidal wave of emotion rise up and threaten to take over me if I didn't get out of there soon. "I deserve to be in pain because of what I did to Eric. I hurt him and he should just let me suffer like I made him suffer tonight."

"I thought you said you closed the bonds." Eric called out as I moved passed them to the staircase but his words made me pause and look back.

"I kept it open just enough so I could feel you..." I couldn't even finish what I was saying because I felt a wetness glistening in my eyes and it wasn't blood, it was tears and if I didn't upstairs then I would fall apart on these steps and there was a chance either Godric or Eric would try and comfort me. And I didn't want to be comforted. I didn't want to feel better.

Not after tonight.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"It's official, I have been so spoiled by vampire blood that I can't even take this pain." I grumbled out loud to my reflection in the bath room mirror as I lifted up the oversized t-shirt of Eric's that I was wearing, and took in the sight of my bruised and swollen ribs and cringed. If I thought they looked bad, it was nothing compared to how bad they felt. I hadn't lied to Eric and Godric when I said werewolves kicked hard, because they certainly did. But despite the pain I was currently gritting my teeth through, I didn't regret not taking Eric's blood. It just didn't feel right after what had happened earlier. I dropped the hem of the shirt and picked up a washcloth to try and clean my head wound like I had come in here to do in the first place. I would have to wait until later to take care of my ribs because this gash was still bleeding and that was my main focus.

I was just touching the wet fabric to the cut and hissed sharply at the sting that ripped through my temple, when I heard movement behind me. I looked back up at the mirror and beyond my reflection, I saw Eric in the doorway leaning against the frame watching me for god only knows how long. He and I stared at each other for a while and I could see the lack of emotion in his face and his bond to me was completely sealed off so I had no way of knowing what he was thinking or feeling. I know he was upset over me turning down his proposal but why was he even here if he was just as upset as he had been in the moment? I tried to ignore him and went back to cleaning my head, but the pain was even worse the second time I tried to touch it and I dropped the washcloth in the sink, groaning under my breath in frustration while Eric laughed at me from behind.

"You should have let me heal you and you wouldn't have been standing here right now putting yourself through more pain." He smirked, walking into the room with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets as he stepped to the left side of the counter way from me and leaned back against it, making sure to keep his eyes straight ahead. "Let me heal you now."

"No." I refused stubbornly, keeping my own eyes focused on the mirror as I leaned forward to look at the cut more closely and frowned at how much worse it felt then it did at the scene of the accident. I sighed heavily, picking up the washcloth again before answering him. "I don't want you to take care of me after what I did."

"Stop trying to make me feel sorry for you like you're the one whose really hurting here, because it's not going to work." He scoffed, his voice so full of anger and fury as he said this that it made me throw down the cloth and whirl around to face him. That turned out to be a mistake because I nearly fell over from the pain of suddenly moving my broken ribs and I hissed sharply again as I clutched the counter and glared up at him.

"Seriously? You think that you're the one whose in more pain?" I asked with a snarl, slowly straightening up while pointing to my side. "I'm the one that got into a car accident, got attacked by a werewolf, had to kill him and ended up with broken ribs and a gash in my head. I think it's obvious whose really hurting here."

"You have got to be kidding me." Eric exclaimed, his hands shooting out of his pockets as he turned towards me with his fangs fully extended but I wasn't afraid of this sight. I was afraid of what he was saying because I knew it was going to open up a can of worms. "You're the one who doesn't want to marry me."

And there it was. The can of worms.

"You can be so dense sometimes." I grit my teeth as my hands clung tightly to the counter top and I glared into the mirror instead of up at him. "I never said I didn't want to. I just said no. And you didn't stick around to let me tell you my reason for saying that."

"There is no reason except that you don't want to." Eric shot back, his words stinging me even worse then the cut on my head but it was nothing on the level to the pain that was now appearing in his eyes. "You know I love you and I want us to be together. But when I try to make it as official as I possibly can, you turn me down. What other reason could there be for you to do that unless you really don't want to?"

"Because I know you don't really want to marry me." I cried out in frustration, banging my closed fist on the counter as a tear slipped down my cheek. "You're not the kind of vampire who believes in marriage, you're only doing it out of obligation."

"What in the hell are you saying?" He demanded, grabbing me by the arms despite my cries of pain and shoved me against the wall. "What do you mean out of obligation?"

"I can't marry you...not like this." I stuttered, biting down on the inside of my cheek as I felt the same uneasiness come over me that had been present hours earlier when he had asked me that all important question. "Not like this Eric."

"What's that suppose to mean?" He asked, his grip not loosening up in the slightest as he waited for me to respond. But when I didn't, he repeated himself. "What do you mean you can't marry me like this? What exactly keeps you from agreeing to it?"

"Think about it Eric. Think about it real hard." I said, moving my arm up so I could stop the drip of blood that rolled down the side of my head. "Your timing is suspicious."

"My timing?" He looked at me with this weird confused expression on his pale face.

"Yea, your timing is horrible and that's why it makes me think you don't really want this." I explained, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady but so many factors were keeping me from being successful and still I went on. "Godric comes back and tells us that these witches are after me for my powers and that we are going to have to go to war. And then we get into a fight about me going to battle with you because you are afraid of losing me. And when we make up, you suddenly think its a good time to propose, right on the brink of war."

"So." Eric obviously didn't see what the problem was and now I would have to explain this emotional exhausting reason which I was not prepared for but would have no choice but to do it now.

"I can't...I can't agree to marry you just because we may all die in the future and you think that would be a great parting way to go. Cause from my perspective it almost makes it sound like you don't expect us to live through this battle. And if you don't have faith that we can live through a war, then how can you have faith that we can get married? That's not how it is suppose to be. And if that was your intention, then I want no part of it."

"You honestly think that's why I did it? Because I thought we may not be here in the near future and so it wouldn't be that long of a commitment?" He asked, his hands finally letting go of me as he stepped back and stared at me with his forehead wrinkled. "Do you think so little of me?"

"Come on Eric, look at it through my eyes." I told him, moving back over to the counter again and leaned over it, trying to find some peace from the pain. "If I did everything that you did right after you heard the news from Godric, then you wouldn't have taken me seriously. So you have to understand why I can't take you seriously."

Eric stood there and watched me for the longest time and didn't say a word. The bathroom echoed with my occasional whimpers of pain and I wondered if Godric was still downstairs and whether he was trying to listen in on this. I put that out of my mind partially because I was upset at him for not allowing me to explain but mostly because Eric deserved to have my attention right now. Once again that blank look was on his face and it filled me with dread because I knew there was no possible way that he and I could come back after this, that I may have just destroyed any chance of us being happy by refusing to marry him even though I had a good reason. So when he began to open his mouth to speak, I cringed, waiting for him to deliver the blow that would shatter our union forever...

"And if I was serious? What then?" He asked quietly, forcing me to ignore the pain as my head shot up to meet his eyes in bewilderment. Did he just say what I thought he said? Eric wasn't looking at me any more but his voice was speaking right to me. "If I was serious about wanting to marry you, then what would you say?"

"Then...then..." I was struggling to figure out how to explain everything going on inside my head but I was finding it very hard to do since Eric was basically saying that he was serious about us getting married. I looked at his down turned eyes and stood up as straight as I could. "Then you are going to wait until we walk out of this battle alive, all of us. You are going to trust that we will make it through and everything is going to be alright. You are going to have faith that this will turn in our favor because it will. And then, when we are all safe and this whole thing is over with, if you still feel that way...then you can ask me to marry you again. Only that time I will say yes."

He went silent again after I said this and I think he was surprised because for the first time since we were last together, I saw the internal struggle going on inside of him as it was displayed across his face. I looked down at my feet for a moment, which distracted me from the sight of seeing him raise his arm to his mouth. I only knew he did this because I heard the sound of his fangs biting into his wrist and knew he was drawing blood to give me. I didn't even look up before I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Let me heal you." He stated, saying nothing of my admission and just pressed his wrist against my mouth. There was no use in fighting it it as he would continue to push at it until I gave in. Eric was nothing if not stubborn and persistent. And if I was serious about going into battle with him and the others then I needed to be physically able to fight. I wouldn't last long in battle with these witches if I was trying to push through the pain of broken ribs and a rather large head wound. So I just let his blood pass over my lips, sliding down my throat and enter my system with my own blood but his was the stuff that did the healing. I felt my ribs start to fuse together again, the pain getting less and less sharp until it vanished all together. The blood stopped dripping down my head and I could feel the cut closing until a look in the mirror showed that it too was gone without any sign it had been there in the first place. I pulled away from Eric, still feeling the tension in the room between us and turned to the side in front of the mirror and lifted up the shirt to stare at my ribcage which was intact and free of any bruise or swollen skin. I sighed, dropping it back down to cover me and looked at him.

"Thank you." I said as gratefully as I could and I was grateful because no one wanted to be in pain like that. But it was awkward with us right now and I didn't know how to strike a balance after being so serious. "Eric..."

"Go shower. You reek of werewolf." He interrupted me, turning on his heels and fleeing from the room before I could respond.

I watched the doorway for a good two minutes, almost expecting him to pop back in again but he didn't. I felt a wave of guilt and despondency come over me as I turned to walk over to the shower. I was turning the faucet on and listening to the water run when it hit me that things, although understood and resolved did not lead to an immediate truce with Eric and I. And it might be a while before we were back to how we use to be. And I hated that, I hated that we could possibly be wasting time being together like we use to with this war sneaking up on us. Despite me assuring Eric that we would both live through it, I almost panicked because if either of us ended up dying then the other would wind up regretting our last moments together. And it shouldn't be like that.

"Allison." Eric was back, standing in the doorway that had previously just been empty but was now filled with his tall form as we stared down each other and I wondered just how much more awkward it was going to get. But what he said was nothing to what I was expecting. "We're ok...you and me. And we're going to continue to be ok, I know that for sure. I just...wanted you to know that."

"I did need the assurance." I nodded, a small smile starting to unfold across my lips and I actually made a move towards Eric and reached out for his hand. I felt like it was ok to touch him now and not fear that he would pull away. I grasped his palm between mine and held it tightly to my chest as I looked up at him. "You know I love you right? That I'm still all in this with you?"

"I guess I also needed assurance." He replied, touching his fingers to a piece of hair plastered to the side of my head by blood before pulling away again. "I don't want to to waste any time by being stupid and fighting. We have a tough road ahead of us and we can't overcome it if we're not united. So let's just put this horrible night behind us and forget it."

"Is that even possible?" I asked, not sure if it was because in just the span of a few hours, so much had happened. Eric proposed and I said no. He ran off and Godric gave me the 3rd degree. I ran off and got into a car accident and in a fight to the death with a werewolf. And now, Eric and I were slowly trying to find common ground to stand on after such an emotionally draining night. It just was tough to believe that we could pretend it had never happened. "Because after tonight, I just don't know."

"We take it day by day." He said with a shrug. "Like we have been doing."

"Or more accurately...we take it night by night." I couldn't help but say jokingly, feeling a bit of the ice break between us and I grinned when I saw Eric roll his eyes. "What?"

"Don't be a smart ass." He shot at me, unable to hide the smirk threatening to completely override his serious expression. "You're annoying when you try to be witty."

"You're still so charming even after a fight." I giggled, turning back to look towards the shower. "Now get out so I can wash this werewolf scent off of me."

"Thank god, I can't take that smell anymore." Eric growled but he didn't move right away and just stood there in the middle of the bathroom watching me almost curiously. "I won't push it right now, but we will have to talk about this werewolf thing. Obviously it was sent to follow you or else it wouldn't have pounced on your car at just the right time."

"Tomorrow...we'll talk about it tomorrow." I promised him, not up for it tonight. I was drained both mentally and physically and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. "But I don't have the energy right now."

"Alright." He nodded and then headed for the door to leave for a second time but right before he left, he turned to look over his shoulder and he said. "I'll be back upstairs after I talk to Godric."

"You still want to be around me tonight after everything?" I asked, ignoring the Godric reference and looked at Eric with a smile, glad that he at least trying to move us back towards normal. "You're not going to want leave me to fall asleep alone?"

"I'll never leave you alone...no matter what we fight about, I will always be there."


	34. This way to madness

**Chapter 34 This way to madness**

_The next night_

"So we obviously underestimated these witches when it came to them making their next move. We never considered that they would use werewolves and now it's obviously that they will go to any lengths and use any means to jump start this war." Eric said the next night as we sat with Godric in the living room and discussed last night's accident. It was uncomfortable being in the same room with Godric and being reminded of what he said to me, but I had to put that aside when Eric brought up the witches and how they had sent a wolf to hunt me down last night. I hadn't wanted to talk about it but I knew I had to if we were going to figure out a plan. "This wolf could have kidnapped her and we weren't as prepared as we should have been."

"Actually this never would have happened if I hadn't run out of the house the way I did." I pointed, looking up from the spot on the carpet I had been staring at all night and looked the two vampires in the face. "If I hadn't gotten in my car and drove off then the wolf never would have been able to track me once I got off the back roads."

"It would have found you eventually even if you had stayed put like I told you." Godric replied and although on the surface, his voice sounded calm and steady, I didn't miss the hard edge of his tone and I knew he was still thinking about our encounter last night. He stood up like Eric had and began pacing through out the living room, sometimes only becoming a blur at certain moments. "This wolf was working for the coven, so it would have found a way to try and capture you. And now that we know they could be doing the dirty work, we can at least try and counter it."

"We never took into account that they would turn down this road and send a wolf out next. And now we need to prepare for any other supernatural beings they might use to do their bitch work." Eric piped back in, looking between me and Godric with an almost wild look in his eyes. "We got caught by surprise once, we won't let it happen again."

"We will take the necessary steps to be ready for this if it ever happens again." Godric assured me, his voice now sounding comforting as he tried to press it upon me that nothing bad would happen to me. But in the back of my mind, I guess I wasn't so sure he cared if it did happen again. Because he must have thought I was a horrible person that didn't deserve to be saved after what he said to me. It was childish, I know but that's how I felt. And he must have known that because after he looked at me, he glanced at Eric and nodded to the door. "Eric will you please leave us for a moment?"

"Yes master." Eric agreed to without resistance which was not like him at all. And it occurred to me as I was watching him walk out, that he must have discussed this with Godric before I came downstairs and knew that Godric would want to talk to me in private at some point and I guess that point was now.

"Godric, what's this about?" I asked, event though I knew already he was going to bring up last night, but in a way I was hoping that it was something he wanted to talk about, like something he couldn't say in front of Eric. That would have been better then sitting through a revival of last night's horrible events. "Why..."

"I'm sorry." He blurted out as soon as he rushed across the room and shut the door tightly even though Eric would still be able to hear everything no matter where he was in the house. But that wasn't what I was even focusing on. I was too taken aback by the words that had come out of his mouth and the ones that were spilling out afterward. "I'm sorry for what I said to you, I'm so incredibly ashamed for the things I said that it has been tormenting me little by little since I said them and I just wanted to apologize."

"Godric it's fine..." I started to wave it off, not wanting to go there but he cut me off before I could tell him no.

"No, it's not fine. It's never fine for me to talk to you like that. You have been nothing but a friend to me since my resurrection and for me to speak to you in that way was just inexcusable. Especially when you had a good reason for saying no to Eric's proposal in the first place." He said, coming back to the cluster of couches and sat down on the other end of the one I was sitting on and tried to catch my gaze. "I was still in the house when I heard you and Eric make up and it made me feel incredibly guilty that I didn't let you explain your reasoning behind your decision. It wasn't right. And now I am here to ask for your forgiveness."

"You really hurt me by what you said. Telling me that I was betraying our friendship because of a problem between Eric and I was just a really low blow." I told him, resistant to forgiving him right away because I wanted to hold on to this grudge for a while. But this was Godric, one of the nicest vampires I had met and he had only said what he said because he was upset that his child was hurting. I'm sure if I was in his position then I would feel the same way. And while I understood where he was coming from, that didn't erase the anguish I had felt at his comments and I was going to let him know that. "You really made me feel like shit after what you said."

"I know.."

"No I don't think you do know or else you never would have said it." I interrupted him, not feeling bad about it because I knew my point was valid. "I never meant to hurt Eric like that. I love him so much and I would rather die before I intentionally tried to cause him pain. And you should have known that."

"You're right, I should have realized it and I didn't. I let my anger over the situation cloud my logical side and it end up hurting you in the process. I was a fool for believing that you could be that cruel." Godric's eyes were turned downwards, his face showing the signs of his shame and it almost made me feel sorry for him. He and I had always gotten along and had been close. And this was really our first fight and I was beginning to realize how awful it was to be in a fight or even a disagreement with Godric. He shot his eyes towards me, seeing me watching him and he asked. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I wish I could refuse and stay mad at you but I think I'm going to say to you what I said to Eric the last time he and I fought because it makes sense." I explained to Godric honestly, still feeling a resistant pull to not forgiving him. But I knew with the situation we were in that I couldn't behave the way I normally would. "We all need to be united right now if we are going to stay alive and defeat these witches and whatever else there is to fight. And they only way we are going to pull that off is to put aside all these fights and disagreements we have been having lately amongst us and just be there for each other. And that's what we're going to do. That's what we need to do or else we won't survive long in this war."

"You know that sounds..." Godric began to say but he was cut off when I surprised both of us by moving over and wrapping my arms around his stone body in a tight embrace. Godric quickly came to and hugged me back and through our bond, I could tell that he was smiling right now and that made me smile. And when we pulled back from each other, I could see the old Godric looking back at me before he said "But just to clarify, this does mean you forgive me right?"

"Oh shut up." I shook my head before I moved forward and hugged him again, glad that this was behind us.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Hey stranger...you up for some company?"

"If it involves you naked and in bed then absolutely." Eric smirked, looking up at the doorway to see Allison hovering there with her arms crossed and her hair pushed back from her face, making her appear younger and more innocent then she was. But that just added to her appeal and there was nothing more thrilling to a vampire then feeling like they were the first to indulge in an innocent human's body.

"You really do have a one track mind don't you?" She asked, pretending to look offended but there was a hint of a smirk lying underneath her frown as she walked across the room and climbed on the bed towards him before she settled down with her legs tucked up underneath her and her hair hanging over on shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Reading your journal" He said without hesitation, holding up the small book so she could see it and he laughed when she looked horrified and tried to cover her face with her hands. "I was bored and I wanted to read something interesting so I did some snooping and I found this."

"And you just thought it was ok to read something personal of mine?" She asked, her face turning red behind her small hands as she peeked at him through her fingers. "How much did you read?"

"I'm a vampire, I was able to read the entire thing while you were talking to Godric and I have to say it just what I thought it would do, it kept my attention." He smirked in explanation, thumbing through the pages and laughing when his eyes landed on certain entries. "You may have been a virgin when we got together, but you are no longer that innocent girl. That girl never would have written about sex as much as you do."

"Oh my god I am so embarrassed. I never thought you would try and read that." She groaned, dropping her hands into her lap and looking at him sheepishly. "I guess nothing is off limits to you huh?"

"Not when it is this good." He shot back, tossing the book aside and grinning at her. "You go into very explicit detail when you were writing about all our delicious encounters. Especially when it came to being in the shower together..."

"Ok ok, that's enough." She cut in, waving her hands in the air to shut him up. "You turned me into a sex maniac and that's obvious. And yea, I like to write it down but don't throw it back in my face. You know I don't like being called out on that kind of stuff."

"You look so delectable when you're embarrassed." He pointed out, taking her by the wrist and yanking her into his lap so he had her as close as he possibly could. "But I will try and refrain from giving you a hard time since you are actually in a good mood tonight."

"I am in a good mood, thanks to that very long talk with Godric." She said with a sigh, leaning against his shoulder with one arm around his neck while she twirled her hair. "I mean,I hate fighting with anyone and I especially hate fighting with him so I'm glad we made up."

"I'm glad too. Although it would have been fun to see my maker get a little more angry." Eric laughed, remembering how out of character Godric had been when he had found about about Allison turning down his proposal. His maker never reacted negatively or filled with anything but calmness. And that night he had been just as furious as Eric had been. But that was over and Eric was realizing that having his maker feud with the woman he loved was not the best thing right now. They all needed to band together without anything driving them apart. "So you and him made up. But did we definitely make up?"

"Of course we have." She exclaimed, sitting back and catching his eye with a frown. "What makes you think we haven't?"

"We haven't had sex in while that's why." He commented, watching in satisfaction as her face burned red again and knew he had succeeded in rattling her. "You only withhold sex from me if you're mad at me or upset. So that's why I think that."

"Well..I'm not mad now am I?" She asked, a small grin unfolding across her face as she slide both arms around his next and drew their faces close. He could feel her breath on his skin as she whispered. "In fact as I said before, I am in a good mood...a very good mood."

"Well then perhaps we should take advantage of it." He grinned, throwing her backwards to the middle of the bed and prepared to climb on top of her when the door was suddenly filled with the form of his maker who was standing there with a phone in his hand and a distraught look on his face. Eric jumped off the bed, rushing across the room, about to say something when Godric held up his hand.

"We have a major problem and we need to get to Bon Temps right away." The 2,000 year old vampire informer them, immediately bringing Allison into an upright position to which his maker looked at her quickly. "Allison I'm sorry...I'm so very sorry."

"Oh god, what now?" She asked, her hands coming up to clasp together at her chest, a look of fright in her eyes. "What happened?"

"The coven sent two witches here to Louisiana...and they attacked Sookie."

* * *

><p><em><span>Flashback<span>_

_"Hello? Is anyone there?" Sookie called out, looking around her at the darkness that rimmed the edge of the property as she cautiously got out of the car and slammed it shut, getting a foreboding feeling in her chest that something wasn't right. But she wasn't going to allow herself to be frightened this early. If there was something out there watching her like she thought there was, then she was going to stand her ground and fight back. That is if there was a need to ._

_And as it turned out, there was a need to defend herself._

_It hadn't been more then a few seconds before she heard the cracking and snapping of branches in the treeline ahead, just to the right of the cemetery. She didn't have the vampire senses like her fiancee to see through the dark, so it took a little longer before she could see the figures step through and then pause on the outskirts of the lawn but she saw them clearly because not only did their dark frames glare at her from across the yard, but their frantic thoughts were practically screaming at her as if they knew she would hear them. Like they were desperately trying to get her to respond by threatening her inside their heads. They knew what she was and she knew what they were. And once that fact had been established, it became became very clear who they were working for._

_"This doesn't have to turn out this way you know." She called out to their silent bodies, hoping to sway them away from whatever it was they had come to do. "You don't have to start anything you can't finish. And you won't finish this. We're ready for you."_

_"We? We?" One of the witches cackled, their voice was clearly female as she stepped forward into the moonlight, looking no more older then her and Allie. The witch shook her head slowly as if she were enjoying this. "Honey, you're alone..in the dark...with two witches. I would say its you that shouldn't start something you can't finish."_

_"Look whatever you have planned..." Sookie began to snap but her voice fell short when she suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her from behind and shove her to the ground. She welt flying to the dirt, making a hard impact that stole her breath and left her gasping for air. The witch who had grabbed her had been male and he was now standing above her with a sadistic smile on his face as he was joined by the female. They both looked at each other like they were silently communicating how to incapacitate her and they both moved. But Sookie was faster, having read their thoughts and quickly shot out her hands towards the female witch and used her power to throw the girl halfway across the yard. She would have thrown her further had it not been for the force of a kick that was aimed at her back that made a spasm of pain rip through her body. And even though she was cowering on the ground whimpering, she saw the irony of the situation. These witches were capable of casting pain spells from states away and yet they were resorting to plain old fist fighting to try and break her down. It was almost comical._

_"Now you see, I didn't want to have to do that but you left me no choice." The male said, getting down on his knees beside her and his hand stretched out so he could run a long finger down the side of her face. "And if you're a good little girl and come with us willingly, then maybe we won't hurt you too bad."_

_"Or better yet, work with us and give us the girl." The female had joined them now and was standing there with her arms crossed tightly over her small frame. "If you lead us to the real Fae then we will let you go. And if you don't help us? Well, let's just say you will be taking a little trip to Dallas and we'll use you to get her to come to us. So either way we win."_

_"It's never going to happen." Sookie shot up at them, crawling backwards even though she knew she wouldn't get away. She didn't care what they did to her, but she would never lead them to Allie. "I will never betray my cousin like that. You will have to kill me first."_

_"You know what?" The male witch asked, standing back up and looking at the female with a glare. "That can be arranged..."_

_Sookie barely had enough time to scream before she felt those hands grab her again as they dragged her up to her feet. She went to bring her hands up, hoping to at least get him away from her long enough so she could make a run for it, but she never ended up doing that and it wasn't because they cast a spell to kill her. It was because the air was suddenly filled with a gust of wind as she felt the male get pulled off her easily and there was only on thing that could do that and it was a vampire. She could only focus on Bill's face just for a few seconds as he dragged the male witch away from her before she had to look away as the sound of ripping and tearing filled her ears. She knew what Bill was doing and she had no desire to see him tear that man's head off his neck and she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt tiny droplets of blood splatter all over her as the thud of a motionless body hit the ground. She turned back to look at Bill just in time for him to catch up to the female and deliver her the same fate as her male companion and it wasn't long after that that the night fell silent and the only living things left in that yard were her and Bill._

_"Are you ok?" He asked upon reaching her side and his hands immediately began searching her body for injuries. _

_"I'm fine, shaken up and scared but I'm fine." She manged to say as she looked at the carnage at her feet and beyond at the edge of the yard before she turned to look at Bill. "They were sent here to abduct me. They wanted to use me to get to Allison. And I said I wouldn't."_

_"You did the right thing, it would have made the situation worse if you had agreed. Because there was no telling if they would have kept their word about keeping you alive if you did help them." Bill pointed out, wrapping his hand around the inside of her elbow and pulled her into his arms. "But we can't focus on that now. Right now we need to call Allie and Eric and Godric and have them all get here. This is getting more complicated then I thought it would and we need to have a meeting with them tonight."_

_"Ok, but first we need to get rid of the bodies..."_

_End of flashback_

"Oh my god." I said after Sookie had finished explaining about the attack and I looked at her messy form from across Bill's living room and took in the sight of her covered in dirt and blood that wasn't hers. I was horrified, completely and utterly horrified over what I had just heard. It was nothing compared to the feeling I had earlier when Godric had come into the room and said she had been attacked. I had been scared out of my mind when I heard this and I didn't think it could get worse but then hearing the details about these witches trying to kidnap her just made it even more painful. They were trying to use her as a way of getting to me and they would have succeeded in taking her if Bill hadn't shown up and killed them. I shook my head in disgust and I couldn't look her in the eye as I spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"Allie this isn't your fault." My cousin said just like I knew she would because I knew her that well. She came over to me and placed her hand over mine. "You didn't ask for any of this to happen. No one is blaming you for what happened to me."

"You're not at fault, these witches are just getting more desperate by the day and they are trying to resort to any means to get what they want." Bill tried to explain, making it sound like it was no big thing when in actuality it was.

"Yea, they want me and no matter how you spin it, that fact will remain the same and they won't stop until they have me under their control." I pulled my hand away from Sookie, looking around at the 3 vampire faces looking back at me and sighed. "I am the cause for all this pain. I have half a mind right now to just give up and let them take me so you all can be at peace."

"Don't be an idiot." Eric snapped, his face getting dark and it made me glad I was sitting on the other side of the room from him because I got the distinct impression that he would have grabbed me roughly for saying such a thing. "Do you really think there would be peace for any of us if you did that?"

"Do you think there would be peace if I didn't do that?" I shot back, feeling a fury rise up in my chest but it wasn't directed at Eric. I was just frustrated with the entire situation. These witches were closing in on us and it wasn't just me being targeted, it was Sookie getting caught in the crossfires. "This coven wants me, but they are being more cruel and prolonging this by going through my loved ones to get to me. And they could have succeeded tonight. And its my fault once again."

"Allie, its not..."

"No Sookie, it is my fault and we both know it. This isn't something we can argue around. The facts are too clear to do that." I told her, getting to my feet with my arms crossed over me, not wanting to be here any more. "You're being targeted because of me. You have been attacked twice because the same people are trying to get me. If I wasn't a factor in all this, then none of this would be happening. So I am the one to blame."

"Where are you going?" Godric demanded as I turned towards the door, prepared to walk out of this house but Godric appeared in front of me and stopped me before I could take more then a few steps. "You can't leave by yourself. That's just what the witches would be waiting for."

"I don't care at this point. I just want to be out of here. So if you are insisting that I can't leave on my own then take me back to Shreveport." I sighed, looking back over my shoulder and seeing Eric make a move as if he was going to be the one to accompany me but I shook my head. "I want to be alone Eric. So please just give me this one night."

"Fine." Was all he said as Godric suddenly took me by the arm and directed me towards the door, leaving behind the others to watch us with sad and angry expressions on their faces. But it was nothing compared to Eric's look that was a mixture of annoyance, anger and a little bit of jealousy. And that almost made me laugh. We were on the brink of war and he was feeling jealous over the fact that his maker was taking me home. Who would have thought he would still feel that way after all we had been through?

I was standing outside with Godric in the middle of Bill's yard, preparing for Godric to grab onto me tightly before he started flying us back to Shreveport. And he did that but he didn't take off into the sky just yet. He stood there for a minute, looking at me as if making sure I was alright and I almost did think anything of it until I saw something flash across his eyes. A look that said he was thinking of something, a guilty look as if he had been hiding something. But I couldn't analyze it further because he pulled me into his arms and launched us both into the dark night sky before I could say anything.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"I can't believe that happened. It's complete madness." I muttered out loud to the 2,000 year old vampire who sat next to me on the steps of Eric's back porch as we stared up at the black night sky like we had been doing since we got back from Bill's house. I was glad he had gotten me out of there when he had, because I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand to be in the same room with the one person I had almost caused harm to happen to for the second time in less then 2 weeks. I know she said it wasn't my fault and I wasn't to blame in any form, but I still couldn't help but feel guilty at knowing she was being hurt because these witches were trying to get to me. This wasn't her problem, it was mine and now they were going through her in the hopes that it would get them me. And I couldn't feel more guilty about it. "I just can't believe this shit keeps on happening all around me. Do I have a sign on my back that says 'this way to madness'?"

"I assure you that you don't." Godric told me, stretching out his legs as he set his hands in his lap and focused his young face on the dark yard in front of us. "It's just unfortunate that these witches are so hungry for power that they are targeting an innocent girl like you."

"Yea you keep saying that and so does everyone. I mean, I know they are after me at this point. But instead of just coming for me, they are hurting people around me and that's not fair." I felt my lip tremble as I said, glad that neither of us were looking at each other because I didn't want Godric to see me on the verge of crying. "Sookie has been attacked twice now, first with the house fire and now by the witches themselves. If it hadn't been for Bill, then she could have been dead. And I didn't even think to try and see if they would go after her. And now look where it got us."

"You need to understand that none of this is your fault, ok?" Godric's hands moved over in the space between and laid themselves over my hands before his cold fingers squeezed mine. "You're not asking for any of this to happen. And you're doing what you can to stop it."

"Maybe if I had never been born, then none of this crap in the last few years would have happened." I grumbled, pulling my hands way from Godric and tucked them under my arms and got to my feet. "I mean, if I wasn't born then these witches wouldn't be after me now. Or if I still had been born, if I never was adopted by the Stackhouses, then I wouldn't be around any of you and I wouldn't have brought this pain into the lives of everyone I love. You, Eric, Bill and poor Sookie has been a target twice. It's because of me that this is all going on."

"It's not you as a person, that's responsible. It's more what you are. That's the reason the want you." Godric told, shuffling around behind me before I saw him appear at my side even with the only light coming from the full moon. "They are after Fae power, you know this."

"If the witches want Fae power, then why don't they just come for me?" I asked Godric as we stood there on the porch at the empty house and stared at each other like we had for the past hour. "Why would they target Sookie?"

"Because it is easier to capture a partial Fae rather then a full bloodied Fae." Godric explained, looking at me and then reaching out to grasp my hand between his for a second time. "Your powers are much stronger then Sookie's and you can evade capture much easier then her. But they don't really want her, they want you. But as I said just now it would be harder to get to you, so they are going to go through Sookie because they know if they took her, then you wouldn't be far behind. And when you showed up they would have you in their grasp and they would torture you and eventually kill you. But not before they ripped your soul out of your body first."

"My soul? What does my soul have to do with anything?" I asked, feeling more confused then ever before. "Why does that word keep on being brought up whenever we have a conversation about the witches?"

"The soul is connected to a person's powers and abilities. If you don't have a soul, then not only are you not really you, but you also have no power. That's why the witches want you in their mists, because they are going to try and separate your soul from your body. If they have your soul, they can put it into a new body or even take it into one of theirs, and gain all the power that you possess, making them virtually unstoppable," Godric told me, his face full of sorrow and sadness as he explained all this to me and I would have left it there had it not been for the brief look that I saw flash across his face after he had stopped talking that told me something was off. It brought up feelings of suspicion in me when I saw that look and it hit me that this wasn't all that he was telling me. Because that expression was the same one that he had been wearing when we left Bill's house, an expression that said there had been more to tell and it was something that he could not tell me when we were around the others, for whatever reason that may be. But it definitely said he was hiding something.

"What is it Godric? What aren't you telling me?" I demanded, not missing the whisper of a look that passed through his eyes and the moment I saw him flinch, I felt our bond open up and was immediately hit with a wave of guilt that I knew was not my own and it wasn't from Eric. I could always tell whose emotions I was feeling and this was most certainly coming from Godric. I looked up at him and removed my hand from his."You're hiding something aren't you?"

"I wish I could say I wasn't but I am." He sighed, looking as though he knew it was no use to argue and pretend I didn't know something was up and was just going to be honest, which I guess would be a first since he was admitting to keeping something from me. He scratched his head before he looked me in the eyes and said. "The other night when I came back and told you and Eric what I found out about the witches, well...i didn't exactly tell you everything. And I certainly didn't tell Eric."

"Why wouldn't you tell us?" I asked, watching him as he stuck his hands in his pockets and stared up at the full moon with his forehead wrinkled and his eyes almost closed.

"Because you and him have been through enough in the past year alone and I didn't want to add to your problems. I wanted you and Eric to have some time together to enjoy each others company again before we had to address something so serious."He explained, turning his head to the side so he could look at me. "And mostly because I wanted you to hear it first from me without anyone else around and I haven't had a chance until now."

"Ok, so tell me." I urged him, crossing my arms tightly over me because I had a foreboding feeling that what I was about to hear was going to turn my world upside down. "What is it about the witches that you haven't told me."

"I told you and Eric that the only way for this whole situation to be over with was to go to war, but that was a lie. A war is not going to help things because even if we kill them, they can still send their mission out to the rest of their coven that they might be hiding. So a battle would be pointless, but I led you and Eric to believe it would help because I couldn't bear the thought of telling you how it really can only end. And it's not something I take lightly to telling you."

"Please Godric, just tell me the truth." I looked at him, seeing the devastation on his face and I felt a coldness go through me that had nothing to do with the temperature of the night air. Something was about to change any second now.

And then it did

"These witches won't stop until they have what they came for. And that's you. Until they get you, they will continue wrecking havoc on the people you love until you finally offer yourself to them." He sounded so sad as he said all this and I saw the glimmer of a tear in his eye when he looked up and said the very thing that would lead me to knowing what my fate would be. "They wont stop until they have your soul...or...or until what they want dies before they can get it."

I was quiet for a moment as this hit me and the realization of what I was going to have to do passed through my head and chilled me down to my very core. I leaned my head against Godric's shoulder, suddenly over come with exhaustion and he immediately wrapped his arms around me and brought my head down to his chest so I would remain steady. I was glad he did it because I already felt my knees get weak and if I had been left without his arms around me, then I would have ended up on the grass right now. But Godric was there holding up against his strong body, almost giving me a lifeline as I struggled to figure out how to respond to this. Nothing made sense any more now that I knew I wasn't meant to live past this altercation with the witches, so what did it matter how I responded? When you're told that the only way to stop the attacks going on around you was for you to die so everyone else could live, made every other worry pale in comparison. The point was that it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Actually that wasn't true. One thing did matter, or more accurately one person did matter. And I couldn't let him be hurt by this. This had to remain with me and Godric. Only he and I would be bound by this tragic secret.

"This really sucks." I hissed, but instead of sounding mad, I just sounded so empty and void of anything and that made me grab onto Godric just a little bit harder. "And I guess I know where my path lies now...but Godric?"

"Yes, little Fae?" He wrapped his arms around me even more tightly, holding me to him and I was grateful for his embrace. It gave me the strength for what I had to say next. For the promise I had to have him make for me.

"Do me a favor and don't tell Eric." I whispered, knowing Godric could hear me even though my voice was soft and muffled as I buried my face in his chest.. "Eric wouldn't understand"

"It will be our little secret..."


	35. Over the edge

**Chapter 35 Over the edge**

_Ok, stay focused. _

_You can do this. _

_Just concentrate._

_Don't think about anything...nothing at all can be in your mind except for what you're doing right now._

And what I was doing right now was something I never thought I would ever have to do. And that was fighting both Godric and Eric at the same time.

The reason I was doing this unexpected task was because Eric had spoken to Godric the other night about preparing me for the battle which could happen at any time now and he wanted me to be ready since I hadn't changed my mind about fighting with the rest of them. This was even after I found out from Godric that the only way for it to be over was for me to die before they could get my soul. Even after hearing that devastating news, I had begged Godric to keep it to himself and to go on pretending like this battle would work. And although he didn't like the idea of keeping something like this from Eric, he agreed to it and stayed silent and played it off like nothing was the matter. And when Eric came to him to ask if it was a good idea for them to put me through training to prepare, Godric didn't resist and here we were in the back yard at 11 at night battling back and forth to see how well I could throw off two very powerful vampires. Eric wanted me to strengthen both of my Fae powers because if I could have those abilities at their peak then it would be to my benefit according to him. And even though I knew it wouldn't make a difference, I went along with it, trying to clear my mind so I could see what their next attack move was going to be before I pushed back at them. And it worked some of them. Like for instance, I was able to have a vision of Godric appearing behind me just seconds before he did it and I was able to use my power to throw him across the yard and down into a small ditch right before Eric was able to overtake me. It was weird having to battle these two vampires, even if it was just in practice because they both meant a lot to me and having to pretend to be fighting them as if they were my enemies was hard for me to.

And it was exhausting. More exhausting then I was able to anticipate.

I had never had to use both of my powers at the same time. I just wasn't use to it , which I guess was the whole point of this training session, to get me use to it. But having to focus my strength and energy to do something physical and mental was more draining then I could have imagined. I mean it was hard enough to push back at one vampire and now two, but having to also try and see what they would do next was just wiping me clean of my energy. But I tried to go on as long as I could, knowing the longer I did this, the less time I would have to dwell on the fact that it wouldn't matter in the end. So I let them push me passed my brink to the point where I began shaking from the effort I was exerting out of my body and still I went on. My strength was waning and I knew I wouldn't last much long. My muscles were quivering, my head was aching and I could barely see straight any more. There was a sweat breaking out across the surface of my skin even though it was a cold night and once or twice I felt blood dripping down from my ears. I was at the end of my tether for the moment and when I had managed to shove Eric away from me, I came to a stop by the back porch and shook my head.

"OK, I think I'm done for now. I'm too tired to keep doing this." I told them, catching Godric's eyes and seeing him nod as he eased up from his fighting position, knowing he wouldn't bother me on this being as he was in on this secret with me. Eric was a different story however, because as soon as he had gotten back to his feet, he came charging across the yard, still ready to fight. "Eric no, I'm getting tired and I need a break."

"No, you can't stop now just when you're getting the hang of it. Even if you are tired, you have to put that aside and keep going." He told me, coming to a stop a few feet away and looked to Godric to back him up but Godric shook his head in disagreement. So Eric turned back towards me with a determined look on his face and said. "I can't let you stop. You need to push through this so you can strengthen your powers. You won't get stronger unless you push passed your limits."

"I did go passed my limits, Eric. And that was an hour ago but I kept going. And now I can't anymore. I'm too tired." I told him, wiping at my forehead to rid my skin of the sticky sweat and then used my sleeve to clean up the blood that had run down my neck from my ears. "I just need a little break and then we can try this again."

"I agree, it's time to stop pushing her." Godric came to my defense which I greatly appreciated and he motioned to Eric to ease the tension in his body. "You need to back off, my child. Her energy is gone for the moment and her body is tired..."

"Do you think these witches will care that you are tired?" Eric snapped, his blue eyes showing a reflection of what he was feeling on the inside as he frowned at me. "I will answer that for you. No they won't care. Because they don't really want to fight you, they just want to find any way to weaken you so they can snatch you up. And I won't let that happen. You need to be strong."

"Eric, I love you for wanting me to be prepared but pushing me this hard is not going to make me stronger, it will make me weak and then I will have to rest any way just to come back from that. So please just leave me alone." I almost begged this of him, forgetting for a second that this was all a cover up of the bigger thing I was facing. "I will be stronger, but I need a break once in a while."

"You're not going to get a break in battle and since you fucking convinced me to let you fight, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you are at your peak so you come out of this alive." Eric hissed at me, his face twisting darkly as if he thought I was the enemy he had to take down.

"Eric..." Godric warned, sending him a look that Eric completely ignored.

"You need to keep going and I don't want to hear any more bullshit about needing a break." Eric yelled, his fists curling up again and his shoulders slumping forward in a fight stance. "Try again and follow through."

"Damn you Eric." I cried, feeling my nerves get the better of me as I began to grow frustrated with his attitude and clenched my hands tightly to my sides. "I can't focus with you yelling at me...I need to rest, please."

"You have got to be kidding me." Eric scoffed and then did something I was not prepared for. He rushed forward passed Godric and right over to me, grabbing me by the arms and shook me hard to the point where I forgot how tired I was and began to feel the slightest twitches of fear as his blue eyes bore down into mine and he said the most chilling thing he had ever said to me. "Do you want to die?"

"Eric enough!" Godric exclaimed, coming up behind Eric and grabbing on to his arms. "Release her right now."

"Because that is what will happen if you don't push through this and fight harder." Eric shouted in my face as if he had never heard his maker's request even though Godric was dragging him away from me. It was like he had gone over the edge of his sanity and he was over come by this desperate urge to prepare me for battle. And instead of that making me feel safe, it was making me want to cry. But Eric just did not care at the moment. "You will die if you don't get stronger. Don't you understand that?"

I didn't even hear the shouting coming after Eric had stopped talking because I was suddenly overcome with tears, Eric had unknowingly hit a soft spot and it just opened the floodgates and I couldn't stop crying. I was able to take in the fact that Godric commanded Eric to leave his own house and remain at Fangtasia until he came to see him. And I felt a gust of wind pick up, blowing my hair back from my face that signified Eric had indeed followed orders and left Godric and me alone in the yard together. I didn't look up until I felt a pair of hands on my face and I had no choice but to look at Godric through my blurry vision.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea he would be so obsessed with this idea to train you for battle. And I certainly didn't know that he would take it as far as he did." Godric mumbled, looking ashamed for his progeny as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that were falling rapidly down my face. " I will speak to him about this, but Allison...I really think we should tell him the truth."

"No Godric, you made me a promise. This stays between us." I reminded him of the promise I had asked him to keep for me and I couldn't have him going back on it now. "You can't tell him that I'm going to die. It will ruin everything between us. And if I end up dying, then I want these last few days or weeks to be as normal as they can be when it comes to Eric and I. So don't say anything."

"And what am I suppose to do? Stand by and let him run you into the ground because he thinks he is preparing you for a battle that won't solve anything?" Godric asked, cupping my face in his hands as he looked at me desperately. "Please let me tell him. It shouldn't be like this."

"But it is like this Godric...and since I'm the one who is dying, I decide when everyone else finds out. So don't go against it. I'm asking you this as my best friend." I looked at him, seeing just as much sadness in his eyes that I was sure were in mine. "Do not tell Eric anything until I'm ready for him to know."

"Fine...I won't say a word."

* * *

><p><em><span>At Fangtasia<span>_

"I am so incredibly upset with you right now that it's taking everything in me not to throw you across the room." Godric hissed, barely looking at his progeny sitting behind the desk while he just raced back and forth over the carpet in Eric's office at Fangtasia trying not to strike the viking with his stone fist. Even though he knew Eric wasn't half as emotionally as he should be being that he was being kept in the dark from the real truth, Godric still hated that his progeny had behaved in such a manner that it resulted in Allison being a complete mess to the point where she didn't even want to be in the house any more. He had taken her to Bill's house where Sookie was so they could at least be together while he yelled at Eric for his conduct. "I don't know why you are acting like this."

"Who says it's an act?" Eric shrugged halfheartedly, not taking the situation seriously at all which was so infuriating when Godric was trying to make a point.

"Eric, be serious for once." Godric snapped, whipping his head towards the much taller vampire and shook his head. "You went too far tonight with her."

"I was only trying to help her be ready for this impending battle. That's all." Eric shot back, reading and willing to defend himself to the ground if need be. And if there was anything Godric had learned over these last thousand years, it was that Eric was recklessly stubborn if he was certain he was in the right. "If she doesn't strengthen her powers to the max, then she won't survive this war. You know that as well as I do. I can see it in your eyes."

"That may be true but pushing her this hard is not how you're going to make progress. If anything it will just push her away." Godric pointed out, clenching his hand behind his back so he didn't reach out for anything to throw. He was slightly unnerved when Eric touched upon the subject of Allison's death, but he had no idea just how much worse the situation was to become. "You don't want to push her away do you?"

"Maybe I should." Eric replied, staring at the ground with his fingers folded together as Godric couldn't believe what was coming out of his child's mouth. "Maybe it's for the best."

"Now you don't really believe that." Godric shook his head, not ready to believe that Eric would even dare go down that road. "I know you love her and you don't really want to hurt her like you did tonight. And that's why I need you to ease up on her a little bit. It's not right to bully her around like this."

"I'm not bullying her, I'm trying to help her. Why is that so damn hard to believe?" Eric snapped, throwing his long arms into the air while his eyes had now turned to slits. "If I don't train her, if I don't push her as hard as I can, then she won't make it out of this war alive. And I can't let that happen. I can't...i can't lose her."

"So that's what this is about. You're pushing her over the edge so you can ensure her survival, that way she will come back to you." Godric shook his head over hearing what was quite possibly one of the saddest things he had ever heard come out of his child's mouth. "I get that Eric, I really do but..."

"No, that's where you're wrong. You don't get it and you never will." Eric suddenly lashed out, rising from his seat with his hands clenched tighter then ever. "This isn't just about her Godric, this is about me too. Do you have any idea what it will do to me if she goes into battle and I have to watch her die?"

"You forget that she is my friend and I care about what happens to her too. So don't assume for one minute that you are the only vampire who cares about her." Godric found himself snapping, sounding more harsh then he intended to. "But if you love her, then don't be so hard on her. Don't push her to the brink of exhaustion where she will have to struggle to regain her strength. I know you are afraid of what may happen in the battle, but this is not..."

"You know what? I think I'm done speaking about this with you. I'm out of here." Eric moved quickly, first distracting Godric with his words before he shot out the back door with a gust of wind and was gone before the door had even finished closing.

"Oh Eric, you are not nearly as mad at the situation as you should be." Godric sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he moved around the side of the desk and took Eric's previously occupied seat. He hated that his child had run out of here the way he had, trying to out run his feelings. But Godric shouldn't have been surprised. That was what Eric had done for most of his vampire life and in fact, it had been Godric who had taught him that. Whenever emotions had become too much, you step away from the equation and moved on. But now Eric was going about it in a different way and that was only based off a lie.

What would Eric do if he found out the truth?

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Bon Temps<span>_

"I can't believe Eric was behaving like that. I mean, what the fuck is his problem?" Sookie asked me later that night as we sat together out on the porch of Bill's house and sipped at our steaming mugs of coffee while I explained to her how that night's training session had gone. To say she was pissed off about Eric's reaction was an understatement. But just like Eric, she also didn't know anything about the secret Godric and I were keeping and I preferred to keep it that way. It was just going to be a little harder in this situation because Sookie was a mind reader and if I didn't keep my walls up, then she could easily hear my thoughts. So that's why when Godric dropped me off here, I pushed all thoughts of my impending death to the farthest corners of my mind and just focused on explaining the horrible way Eric had spoken to me. Sookie squeezed my hand gently as we looked up at the stars and she sighed. "Why was he riding you so hard? I mean, I get that he would want you to be as strong as you can be for when we go to battle, but to push you this hard is just crazy."

"You're telling me, I thought I was going to pass out before Godric forced him to leave. I was that tired." I told her, remembering with vivid detail how exhausted my body had been during that hour I was fighting back against him. "And he kept on yelling at me, like he was trying to press upon me the seriousness of this war."

"Like you didn't know that already." Sookie scoffed, taking both our empty mugs and setting them aside a little too forcefully. "If anyone knows how badly this could turn out it is you. And it's not right for him to make you feel like you're not aware of the implications that are coming."

"Not that I am defending him or anything, but maybe he is just doing it out love." I shrugged, knowing how lame that sounded but I had to say something. "I mean, Eric is being faced with the possibility of losing me and this is just another thing in a string of crazy things he has done since finding out about the witches wanting my soul and that we have to go to war. I mean when he proposed I thought..."

"Wait one fucking minute. He proposed?" Sookie's mouth fell upon so widely that I thought it was going to snap off. "You never told me about this."

"I guess I haven't told you about a lot of things." I gritted my teeth, remembering I had also failed to tell her about the werewolf attack along with the car accident and was going to open my mouth to explain that night to her when I was cut off by a gust of wind rushing passed me, blowing my hair up around my face and blinding me from what was going on, but I could still hear and I definitely heard Sookie when she yelled out loud.

"Eric, what the fuck are you doing here?" She demanded, her voice cutting through me as I pushed my hair out of the way only to see Eric standing in the middle of the yard dressed in all black with the same fighting stance he had been in the last time I saw him over 2 hours ago. Sookie looked at me over her shoulder before sending the former viking a death glare. "Why are you here?"

"To prepare you for the unexpected." He replied cryptically, smiling almost smugly before he disappeared from sight, just in time for me to look up and try to follow his movement. But he was on fire tonight, catching me off guard by his speed and I found myself being yanked up and sent down the steps into the yard. I landed on my feet but I nearly stumbled as Eric reappeared, this time with a blank expression as he shook his head. "You weren't alert tonight. Do you know how easy it could have been for anything to just walk right up and attack the two of you?"

"Eric stop it." I demanded, not wanting to have a repeat of the scene at his house and tried to stop this impromptu training session before it began. "I'm not going to battle you again. I barely have my strength back and I'm not wasting it by pretending to fight you. It's not going to happen."

"You're not as prepared as you should be and that was made obvious by the way you jumped at my appearance." He pointed out, taking tiny and calculated steps towards me as if he thought his intimidation tactics were going to work. "You should have your senses ready at all times or else it will be your undoing in the end. You don't know when or how these witches will strike next. Or who they will send."

"Damn it Eric, I'm not going fighting you..." I watched as Eric popped out of sight leaving me alone in the middle of the yard, whipping my head in all directions for when he would surely appear. I paused briefly to look at Sookie to see if she had seen which way he had gone. And it turned out to be a second too long because as I turned back around, I found myself staring right into a chest of black fabric and knew Eric was the one in front of me. "Oh fuck."

"Come on Allison." He goading me with his tone, almost begging me to start a fight and even though I knew where this was coming from, it still made me upset and it took everything I had not to cry right then and there despite Eric advancing upon me. "Do it..fight me."

"I don't want to. I told you I was done for the night." I wasn't looking at him because I didn't want to be distracted by his face. Maybe if I kept my face down then I could sound stronger then I was. "Don't make me do this Eric. Don't make me fight you."

"It's the only way you can strengthen your powers." He said, grabbing my chin in his hand and yanked my head up to meet his eyes. "If you don't practice, then you wont be as in control as you can be. So do it."

"No. I won't." I told him, pulling my face away from his hand and started backing away even though he could easily over take me. And he did, he shot over in front of me and grabbed my arms tightly, locking me in place. I tried hitting him in the chest but that only seemed to amuse him. "Stop it Eric. I don't want to do this."

"That's it, get angry. I don't care. Just use it to your advantage." He said, releasing me so I could get a reasonable distance away before he spoke again. "I don't want to hurt you, but if forcing you to fight me until you really control your powers is what it takes, then I will do this until dawn."

Then just like he did before, he disappeared and the yard fell silent again. I heard Sookie slowly coming down the porch steps, trying to approach me before Eric showed up again. And she didn't get very far before he made his presence known again, only this time I was ready for him. As soon as my head told me that he was getting closer, I concentrated all my strength down to my hands, feeling my body shake because I had not yet recovered from earlier, and whipped around before I enveloped Eric's charging body in white light. I watched as the beam sent him clear across the yard and threw him right into the trunk of a large tree set back by the road that lead through the cemetery and watched as his body fell to the ground in a heap. I barely had a chance to feel the strength leave my body before Sookie's hands grabbed mine and started pulling me backwards towards the house. I didn't have the energy to resist and I didn't want to . I let her lead me back up the porch steps and away from the yard where Eric was starting to move. She had just flung open the door and shoved us both inside when we heard the cracking of broken branches outside.

"Eric Northman, I rescind your invitation into this house." She yelled out just as he appeared into the doorway, making her jump back in surprise but he couldn't enter now that he no longer had permission. Sookie had done what Eric and I had done and had signed the official paperwork to make her part owner of Bill's house. And now she could control what vampires came in. And she certainly didn't mind throwing that back in his face. "Yea...didn't think I would do that did you?"

"Let me in. I'm doing this for her own good." Eric growled, not liking that we were just within a few feet and he couldn't get to us. His fists pounded on the door frame, rattling the wood. "Invite me in."

"Fuck off Eric." Sookie told him point blank as she turned away from the door and came over to the spot on the floor where I had fallen, too exhausted to move after using more power in a few hours then I had used in a few months. I felt her hands on my shoulders, trying to pull me upright out of my position my body was curled into. "Allie? Allie it's ok. He can't come in and bother you anymore. It's ok."

"I...I uh..." I couldn't even formulate a single word and I could barely even feel her hands on me as I struggled to calm myself down long enough to look up at her. But it was harder then I thought. The more I struggled to breathe normally, the harder it became to do something that simple and I began taking unsteady gulps of airs, trying to get my lungs to work properly. I was getting so flustered and panicked at my inability to calm down my racing heart that I started crying again, feeling the tightness in my chest increase as I crossed into the realm of hyperventilating. My tears dripped down my face, spilling onto the floor just as a commotion started happening near the front of the house. I managed to draw enough strength to lift my head just in time to see Godric show up and grab Eric by the throat and slam him down on the porch surface.

"I thought I made myself clear earlier, but I guess not." He growled, looking more angry and animalistic then I had ever seen him as he held a struggling Eric Northman under his hands. He looked over at me briefly, his expression softening for a second as Sookie pulled me into her arms and we both watched this scene unfold before us. "Eric, what in God's name are you doing?"

"I was trying to finish what I started, something you always told me to do." Eric hissed back up at him, his eyes turned to narrow slits even from where Sookie and I were sitting. "But she wasn't doing what she was suppose to."

"You're going too far tonight Eric, way too far. Even more then you did back home. And it's not appropriate and I won't tolerate it anymore." Godric growled, appearing to tighten his grip on Eric's throat. "As your maker, I command you to return to your home and wait for me there. You will not leave until I speak to you again. Do you understand me?"

"Of course master." Eric replied sarcastically, waiting for Godric to release him and when it happened, Eric was gone in flash, probably more because he didn't want to be ordered around anymore rather then out of consideration.

"I'm sorry once again. I seem to be doing that a lot tonight." Godric said sadly as he looked over to us sympathetically before he too took off in the same direction as Eric and left me alone to cry in my cousin's arms.

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"I'm so …."

"You are...incredibly frustrating.."

"So rude...scaring those poor girls."

"Going above and beyond the realm of stupidity...how can you keep doing this to her?"

"Are you done yelling?" Eric asked from his place at the kitchen table where he had been sitting ever since the two of them had arrived back at the house and Godric had forced him into a chair while he laid down the law of acceptable behavior in situations like these. But Eric seemed quite ok with just trying to get this conversation over with without taking anything too seriously. "Because you might be giving me a headache."

"I don't understand you. How can you do this twice in one night?" Godric demanded, whirling around on his heels to stare down his progeny, wondering what the hell had gotten into him. You don't treat people you loved the way he was treating Allison. "Both times I had to step in or else you would have gone past the point of no return."

"I wasn't going to hurt her." Eric look offended by this notion, the first real show of emotion all night and their eyes met at the same time and Godric saw that Eric was glaring at him furiously over this one comment. "Did you honestly think I would lay a hand on her in that way?"

"Oh gee I don't know Eric, it's not like you have shown great restraint in the past." Godric hissed, having no problem of pointing out his child's mistakes if it meant he would correct them now. "So you can understand why I would doubt you could control yourself this time."

"You know, I'm really getting sick and tired of you thinking I am doing this out from a bad place. Because I'm not." Eric protested, looking like he wanted to get up but Godric sent him such a look that kept him seated. "This is just tough love."

"That's such bullshit. This is not acceptable behavior, even if you think it is out of love and you're just trying to prepare her." Godric fought against every nerve in his body to tell Eric the truth. It would solve so many problems and Eric wouldn't be acting like this. But then again, it could cause him to freak out even more. And as much as he thought it was right for Eric to know what was going on, he couldn't help but remember his promise to Allison and knew he couldn't go back on it. Not now. She had to be the one to decide that, not him. So his only job was to try and pretend that it was all about this war and nothing else. And to try and diffuse any blow up that might occur. "You may say you love her, but the way you are showing it, is not saying that at all. It's coming across as you not caring at all about her happiness and emotions. And you're treating her like a fighter instead of as the woman you claim to love.."

"I'm trying to keep her alive." Eric growled back, his glaring eyes directed at the table top. "This way will work."

"Are you sure about that?" Godric asked, crossing his arms tightly. "It may push her far enough to keep her alive, but will it keep her with you?"

Eric fell silent for the longest time after that and just stared at the table with the darkest look ever on his face. Godric didn't bother saying anything since it was obvious that Eric was having a slew of thoughts go through his head at that was making him angry and it was probably for the best if he didn't say anything. He knew his child well enough to know how he was thinking and feeling most of the time but there were those rare moments when Eric's behavior took him by surprise and he said some of the strangest things. And right now, he was about to hear one of the most ridiculous things Eric had said in a thousand years.

"I hate her for making me feel like this." Eric snapped suddenly, slamming his closed fists on the table in front of him, his actions would have taken anyone by surprise but Godric didn't even flinch in the slightest, not at the movement of even the words.

"You only say that because she makes you feel human and you can't bear that because you can't bear the pain that goes along with it." Godric replied, knowing his face was reflecting the truth behind his words. "I know that you love her, but the way you are behaving is showing that you could care less. And i understand that you are not use to these emotions. But my god, you need to get over yourself before you lose her again. And if you lose her and you're in pain, then you will have no one to blame but yourself. And you know that. Deep down you know that this is not the way to deal with things. Pushing her and scaring the shit out of her twice in one night is not the way to deal with your fear."

"Don't tell me how to deal, Godric." Eric growled, looking absolutely livid that his insecurities were being thrown back in his face. "You don't know what it is like so you can't say you would do anything differently. You never loved anyone like I love her."

"You're right, I never loved a woman the way you love Allison. I wasn't lucky enough to find someone I cared that deeply about." Godric hissed, his fangs shooting out from behind his lips as his frustrations with his child reached a fever pitch. "And if I had, I wouldn't be wasting time like you are. I would be doing everything in my power to make sure I made the most out of the time I had left with her. Because honestly Eric, you don't know what is going to happen. You were right about that. But that doesn't give you the right to be harassing her in any way you think would get you the best results. If you love her like you claim, then cut the bullshit already and be there for her in whatever way she needs. Because this version of you is not going to keep her with you. But like I said, I haven't been lucky enough to find a soul mate. And you have, and yet you continue to behave like you have learned nothing in your 1,000 years. You disappoint me, my child"


	36. Blood exchange

**Chapter 36 Blood exchange**

_"Hey Bill, can I ask you a favor?"_

_"Absolutely, what do you need?"_

_"I was just wondering if I could stay here for the night? I don't really want to go back to Shreveport and face Eric right now and I have no where else to go."_

_"Of course you can stay here. You know you're always welcome in this house. There's a spare bedroom down the hall from ours, you can use that one."_

_"You don't call it a guestroom?"_

_"No...because you're not a guest, you're family."_

_"Thanks."_

And that's what I had ended up doing that night after Eric left Sookie and I alone, I had calmed myself down long enough that when Bill showed up, I was able to ask him to let me stay there because I just couldn't bear the thought of having to return to Shreveport and be in the same house as Eric. I just couldn't do it and Bill knew that, which I think was why he was so quick to say yes to this idea, even though I knew he loved his time alone with Sookie. But she too was worried about me after our dramatic encounter with Eric and she wanted me to keep close by. It probably wasn't the best idea, considering I had left Bon Temps so I wouldn't be easily found by anyone and no one knew I was in Shreveport. But having to face Eric after he pushed me so hard was just more then I could take at the moment. I didn't have the energy to deal with him emotionally or physically. My strength was basically gone and it was going to take a few days before I was back to my old self. Of course that process would be sped up if I drank vampire blood, but there was no way I was going to do that after the way Eric had treated me. Just no way.

_"He's remorseful about his actions."_

_"Yea, I'm sure he is Godric."_

_"He may not have said it, but I know he regrets the way he went about everything."_

_"Until he says it to my face, then I just can't believe it. I'm sorry, but this time he went too far and I don't care to see him any time soon."_

_"I understand that, but I really think you should come back to the house. It's the safest place for you."_

_"At this point, I don't think it really matters..."_

So I didn't end up going back to Shreveport after that first night. In fact, I didn't return for a few days even though I had been visited by Eric more then a dozen times asking me to come back. But I had refused to talk to him and I asked Bill and Sookie to not let him in the house and they were only too happy to agree. Neither of them wanted me to go back until I was ready, so Sookie had gone to Eric's house during the day and had gotten me some of my things so I wouldn't have to do it myself. And I had spent these last few days and nights with her, Bill and sometimes even Godric. It was Godric who tried the hardest to convince me to go back, claiming that Eric had seen the errors of his way but I wasn't willing to believe it just yet. But then again, as I told Godric, it didn't really matter how I was treated since I was just going to end up dying anyway. That disturbed him greatly and he forbid me from ever saying that again. He said that it wasn't fair to talk to him like that when he was the only one keeping my secret, and that if I wanted him to continue keeping it then I couldn't talk so morbidly. I only agreed because he was my friend and I knew it caused him pain to listen to me talk like this. But I was beginning to be so overwhelmed with all the destruction going on around me that I was just at the point of not wanting to deal with it anymore.

_"Godric, I don't know if I can do this anymore.."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I mean, all this bad stuff keeps on happening all around me and people are getting hurt because of me...If I'm just going to end up dying, why don't I just do it now and get it over with..."_

_"You mean...take your own life?"_

_"Or at least let someone else do it.."_

I didn't want to die, not at all. I wanted to live my long immortal life. I wanted to spend all my long years with Eric by my side and Godric in the background as my best friend. I wanted to live to see Sookie get married to Bill and to see them live their own happy lives. I wanted to watch as this war would end the torment these witches were putting on all of us. I wanted it to work. But I knew it wouldn't. No matter how much I wanted to live, I knew I wasn't going to be able to do that. I had to die, just so everyone else could go on living. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right but it was my reality and nothing was going to change that. And I grew so frustrated with this that on more then one occasion , I told Godric that it wouldn't matter how I died just as long as I did. I even suggested that he just kill me himself and drink my blood so that at least he would be at his strongest and could fight should the witches decide not to stop attacking. I had never seen Godric get so mad at anything I said until I said this. It was a good thing we were alone because after I said he should kill me, he grabbed me by the arms and pushed me into a wall, saying he would never be the one to take my life no matter how much I begged him to. And this was one of those times that had gotten too intense and too emotional by just one sentence and I ended up crying in his arms with him trying to comfort me, telling me that they would try and figure out something and that maybe they could come up with a plan so I could live. But he and I both knew he was only saying that for my benefit because if there really was a way for me to live, then we would have discovered it by now. And we hadn't, so there was no hope for me.

_"I still think you should go back to him...Eric wants to see you."_

_"I just can't right now...I'm not ready."_

_"But Allison, you don't know how much time you have left...and you really ought to spend it with the people who love you..and that includes Eric.."_

_"This may be for the best if I distance myself from him."_

_"How is that for the best?"_

_"I'm going to die Godric and it's only a matter of time until it happens...and I can't bear the thought of torturing Eric with a few last good days only for my life to be ended sometime soon. I just don't think I can do it. At least if I stay away then he can start to get over me and maybe my death won't hurt him as much."_

_"It's not right."_

_"No..it certainly isn't."_

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"You need to go and get her Eric. She's hurting." Godric told his progeny one night when they were both gathered at his child's house and Godric was doing everything in his power to reunite the two of the most important people in his life but Eric was making it very difficult. "And we both know why she is hurting."

"And what exactly do you want me to do about it?" Eric asked, turning his face up from the book he had in his lap and set his steely eyes on Godric. "What else should I do that I haven't already done?"

"Maybe you should try and apologize, that sometimes gets these humans to respond." Godric replied with his eyes rolling far too often in his child's presence. "You do know what how to do that right?"

"Of course I do, I'm not a complete idiot." Eric scoffed, shaking his head and turning his focus back to his book.

"You sure about that? Because from where I am standing, you look very much like like an idiot." Godric raised his eyebrows in triumphant when he saw Eric's face shoot back over to him with a look of surprise on his pale face. It wasn't often when Godric felt the need to say something harsh to his child, but there were those rare occasions when Eric's head was so thick that it took an insult to make him pay attention. "Trust me when I say this Eric, you are brilliant. But you're not very smart."

"What has gotten into you?" Eric demanded, his icy blue eyes filling up with a cloud of confusion and fury. "You never talk to me like this."

"Maybe I am just getting sick and tired of watching you piss away the best thing that has ever happened to you." Godric hissed, not even having to directly say what it was that he was referring to, because it was obvious what he was talking about. "Allison loves you and you continue to test that love by being the most stubborn and idiotic vampire on the planet. You need to suck it up and be a man already."

"Jesus Christ you are obviously in a bad mood tonight." Eric frowned, tossing the book aside and sitting back with his hands clasped together. "What the hell happened to you? Have you not gotten any action lately?"

"Hmm, no wonder Allison doesn't want to return to the house or to you. You make it impossible to stay serious." Godric threw his arms up in the air, so ready to run out of there and never look back, but he had to stay for Allison's sake. "This isn't the time to be yourself Eric, you have to be better then this. You have to learn to adapt and become a better vampire."

"There's nothing wrong with the way I am and if Allison really loves me, then she won't want me to change." Eric replied smugly which was just adding to Godric's increasing fury.

"That may be true but this behavior of yours is not going to keep her with you for much longer." Godric flinched slightly as he said this, because it was hitting close to home on the secret he was hiding but Eric couldn't know that. "There is a war upon us, Eric. A war! And instead of acting appropriately, you are behaving like a child. Pushing her to the point of exhaustion, attacking her out of no where as part of training, scaring her so badly that she can't even look at you. Does that sound like the kinds of things you do when you love someone? Is that behavior going to be what keeps her convinced that you love her?"

"Don't even insinuate what I think you're going to say because it's bullshit." Eric snapped suddenly, his body rising up to it's full height in an act of intimidation, but as Godric had a thousand years on him and he was Eric's maker, it really didn't work, even with the flash of rage in Eric's eyes. "Of course I love her, I wouldn't be fighting so hard to keep her alive if I didn't."

"I told you before that its not coming across as love to me or to her. And if you expect to keep her with you, then you better go to her and apologize." Godric warned him with crossed arms. "Do not make you command you, I don't like doing it."

"Really? You could have fooled me. You seem to enjoy doing it a lot in the past week." Eric shot back back, his resistance to apologizing getting stronger and it shined out through his eyes. It shouldn't have surprised Godric because Eric never wanted to admit he was wrong and that was true for most people. But for someone like Eric, it was worse because he was more stubborn by nature and it was made worse by him being a vampire. "I can't apologize for doing something I thought was right."

"Then I can't talk to you anymore right now, because you can't even see your own mistakes." Godric shook his head, fed up with the attitude Eric was giving and made a move to walk out of the room. But before he left, he paused in the doorway and looked back at his child. "You better find it in you to apologize, because if you don't, you will find yourself staring at her back as she walks away from you again. And you will have no one to blame but yourself."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"So this is your idea of finding peace? We jump in your car and drive away with no destination in mind? Are you crazy?" I asked Godric, turning my head to stare at him from where he sat in the passenger seat looking at me like it was no big deal. "And what's even more nuts is that you're letting me drive your car. Did you forget I was recently in a car accident?"

"Don't worry, I trust you and it's just a car. It can be replaced. But a night of just relaxing and doing something fun when no one else can stop us, well, that can't replaced." Godric grinned me as I drove along the back roads of Bon Temps with nothing in sight except empty roads and trees. "Face it, you needed this time away from everyone and I was just helping you get it."

"Well, you are right about that." I nodded, gripping the steering with a small smile as I thought about how this night had started out. I had been prepared to just spend the evening alone in Bill's house but then Godric showed up and thought it would be fun for us to go on a drive together. He told Sookie and Bill that he would be with me, so if anything were to happen then I would be in safe hands. This convinced them and since they were after me to cheer up, they practically pushed me out the door after Godric, telling me to try and have fun. I didn't know exactly what Godric wanted to do but I wasn't going to question it too much because no matter what it was, I always had fun with him. I hadn't hung out with him enough in the past few months since we came back and it was nice to be able to just spend some time together like we use to back when he was trapped in the tomb. And who knew how much time we had left together? I pushed that out of my head as I looked over to him. "I really did need this, so thank you."

"I've seen how much of a toll everything is taking on you and I don't want you to suffer any more then you have to." Godric made a point of saying to me. "I mean, I know that this is going to be a tough road for all of us, but it will be especially hard for you. And I just want your last moments to be as calm and as filled with happiness as they..."

"Godric, I really don't want to talk about my impending death." I cut in, stopping his comment in its tracks as I took my eyes off the road to look at him with my eyebrows raised. "This is suppose to be about me having a moment of forgetting about it, at least for a few hours. So let's change the subject."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Consider the subject dropped." Godric immediately shut down the direction the conversation was going and went another way. "You know, I was talking to Eric tonight and..."

"I don't want to talk about Eric either." I quickly said, feeling my heart pound in my chest at the mention of his name and I hurriedly pushed it away. "He still hasn't apologized and unless you were bringing him up for that reason, then I don't want to hear it."

"Ok, is there any subject that is safe to talk about?" Godric asked, almost sounding amused that this time together was turning into a childish conversation. "Because I'm not really sure..."

It happened so fast that I wasn't sure what was occurring before my very eyes as I watched it unfold. It was so vivid and real that I wasn't even sure I was actually in the car driving with Godric next to me, I was just that caught up in what I was seeing. I didn't hear the sound of the engine or Godric talking to me as the images in my vision washed over me...

_"I can see them approaching, the car is just around the bend." The man in black slacks and bright yellow t-shirt said to his companion at his side as he set down the binoculars and picked up the heavy black rifle and cocked it. "Are you ready to do this?"_

_"Not as ready as you, but I always follow orders." The shorter man replied as he too picked up the same kind of gun as the man beside him. "But what I don't get is why we are shooting for the vampire."_

_"Why not? You know how the church is against these dead folks, we are just __doing the world a favor by taking care of them in our own way." The taller man laughed, quietly hoisting the rifle up at the same level as his shoulder. "Besides, this is the plan Newlin and the witches came up with and if we expect to rise in the ranks, then we do what we're told."_

_"Ok ok, I was just asking." The small man said, gripping his gun tightly as they both looked through the empty tree branches towards the road. "But what if we accidentally shot the girl and she dies?"_

_"Then we are as good as dead too. And that's why we need to be careful. We just need to send a message and then get out of here, the coven will take care of the rest." The man assured his friend, his body getting tense. "We are under orders to take care of that vampire she is with, without causing harm to her. If she dies before they get her soul, then trouble will arise for us. And Newlin will not like that."_

_"So we shoot the vampire?"_

_"Yes...that's exactly what we're going to do." The first man said evilly, placing his finger on the trigger and a second later, the firs round was shot into the car..._

"Shit" I barely was able to scream this as my body took on its own reaction and I felt my foot slam on the brakes while I came out of the vision just as the first shots were fired through the window. I couldn't even bring my body to move as I listened to the glass shattering as the car skidded to a stop in the middle of the road and the air was filled with the sound of bullets hitting the metal exterior of the car as well as inside. I heard the cry of pain that was not my own and it was so full of anguish that I knew it was going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I felt my face being splattered with a dark liquid that I knew was blood and I couldn't bring myself to turn my head to see where it was coming from. The sound of over a dozen rounds of the bullets entering the car did not take precedent over the scream that suddenly came out of my own mouth as I felt three bullets strike me in the leg, bringing me a fresh pain that I had never felt before as the blood began seeping down my skin while the bullets lodged themselves into my bones. But believe it or not, I barely felt the pain as my eyes drifted to the side and caught sight of Godric's body slumped over in a bloody mess against the window, his chest and arms riddled with holes from the silver bullets. I felt my heart slam heavily into the side of my chest as I watched his eyelids flutter out of pain.

"Oh my god." I barely was able to whisper this as I tried to reach across the seats to him, but his hands shot up and grabbed mine tightly, surprisingly still strong after being shot this many times with silver. I watched as he pried his eyes open and turned them to meet mine as his mouth opened slightly.

"Drive...back to Bill's house..safer there." He managed to croak, his voice sounding weak which was something I was not use to and it scared me to see him like this. And when his eyes shut as if he had blacked out, I was even more frightened. I was able to restrain myself quickly because I had to get Godric out of here and I couldn't waste time. I quickly let my foot off the brakes and hit the accelerator,twisting the wheel all the way to the left so I could turn in the other direction and go back. I had to use my left leg to use the pedals since my right was in too much pain, but when I had the car straightened out, I barely remembered I had been shot and took off at breakneck speed back to Bill's house. I took a second to reach over and squeeze Godric's lifeless hand and whisper out loud as comforting a phrase as I could managed at this point.

"It will be ok Godric. You'll be ok. I will make sure of it."

* * *

><p><em><span>7 minutes later<span>_

"Sookie! Bill! Get out here quick." I screamed out the open window towards the house where I knew Bill would at least hear my voice, but I laid on the horn just as I swung the car around in the driveway and brought it to a stop right by the front steps, practically falling out of the seat in my attempt to exit the car quickly. I had barely gotten the door shut when Bill and Sookie came running out onto the porch, coming to a stop when they saw the bullet damaged car and me trying to unsuccessfully pull an unconscious Godric out from the passenger side. I looked over my shoulder, setting my eyes on Bill and called out to him. "Bill help me, he's been shot."

Bill shot down the steps without another word and over to the car. He pushed me aside gently so he could yank Godric's still form out of the vehicle and fling him over his shoulder, zipping into the house where I felt a wave of relief come over me from knowing that my friend was now in a safe place. I watched Sookie look between me and then at Bill, not sure if she was seeing what she was seeing. I felt my lips shake as my body was filled up with a pain that was not my own, it was Godric's. I was feeling the pain of his injuries through our blood bond and it was torture to feel that. It was what pushed me to move my body quickly up the porch steps and hurry passed Sookie and into the front foyer of Bill's house to see Godric's body lying on the shiny wood floor with blood continuing to seep slowly out of him.

"What the hell happened?" Sookie asked me, his face showing the same horror I felt at seeing a two thousand year old vampire lying on the floor at our feet, appearing like he was dead. "You guys were only gone for 15 minutes. How did this happen?"

"I ..uh...I was driving the car down one of the back roads and everything was fine for a while. But..but ..but then I had a vision of two members from the Fellowship hiding in the woods. They were sent there to shoot Godric, to send some kind of message to the coven. And then...just.,just as I came out of it..." I couldn't even form a coherent sentence as tears started to swim in my eyes and my entire body began to shake as I struggle to contain my increasing panic. "Then the vision came true...and they ...they shot him. More then a dozen times...and he looked so lifeless..."

"Allison...listen to me." Bill appeared in the space in front of me, his hands going to either side of my face as he attempted to calm me with his words, looking at me gently. "He's going to be ok. He's two thousand years old and the bullets are just silver, they won't kill him. They will eventually push themselves out of his body and he'll be weak for a while but he will be fine."

"He'll be ok?" I asked, my lips trembling as I looked around him towards Godric where he was still lying motionless on the floor and I found it hard to believe that he could be ok with him looking like that. "Isn't there anything we can do to help him?"

"Not really. As I said, the bullets will come out on their own and he will heal. But because there were so many of them, it will take a little longer to heal." Bill explained, his hands dropping to my shoulders and squeezed them gently. "But there is something that could speed up the process."

"What's that?" I demanded even though I was pretty sure I already knew what he meant. I hadn't thought about it at the time because I was so panicked, but now that I was standing inside the house and was safe, I knew what I could do to ease my friend's pain. I looked up and caught Bill's eye. "It's my blood right?"

"Yes, Fae blood will make the healing go a lot faster." Bill nodded in agreement, looking at Sookie apologetically as if he knew she didn't want me to do this. "But he will be fine if you don't do it."

"No I have to. He was hurt because of me and now I need to help him." I told Bill, moving away from him and walked across the floor to where Godric laid and got down on my knees. There was a gash on the inside of my wrist that had come from the broken glass that I could use to feed Godric my blood and I was on the verge of gathering him up in my arms when the sound of loud steps came from the direction of the porch and we all looked up towards the open double doors and saw Eric's tall frame filling the doorway, his face full of shock and pain as his eyes landed on his maker. "Eric.."

"Do not feed him your blood." He said quickly, his eyes immediately going to my wrist where I had it poised in the air, ready to press against Godric's lips. Eric tried to walk through the door, but Sookie had never reinstated his invitation so he was forced to remain where he was as he glared at me. "Godric will live without your blood. You are mine, no other vampire can feed from you."

"This is not the time to exert your territory, Godric is weak and he needs blood. My blood." I hissed, sitting down completely on the floor before I gingerly lifted Godric's head into my lap and sent Eric a death glare. "You can't stop me."

"Want to bet?" He shot back, his eyes darting over to my cousin and he motioned her to come forward. "Sookie, invite me in right now."

"Do not let him in here, he will just try and stop me and I don't want him to. I need to do this." I snapped at Sookie as she appeared to be debated whether or not to do as Eric said. But she eventually fell back beside Bill, content to follow my orders. I turned my head back to Eric and very harshly said. "Fuck off."

I then shoved my free arm underneath Godric's head so he was at a better angle to drink and then I offered my wrist to his mouth, feeling him latch on almost immediately and begin to drink in slow even gulps. I sighed in relief, my body relaxing into a numb heap as I felt my blood flow out of my veins and into Godric's mouth. Bill was right when he said my blood wold speed up the healing process. Because as Godric was drinking from me, I could hear small little tinkles of metal hitting my legs before they dropped to the floor. And I knew they were the bullets working their way out of his body just as Bill had said they would. And I should have at ease over this and would have been had it not been for the gasp coming out of Sookie's mouth.

"Oh my god, you've been shot too!" She exclaimed, her hands shakily pointing down to my right leg where there were three very clear holes in my skin, showing the bullet's entry. "Allie, you're hurt."

"I'm fine, really I am." I lied to her face because I did not want her to worry about me. If she got too worried then she would tell Bill to make me stop, or worse, she would get Eric to do it and I did not want him touching me right now. I wanted Godric to take my blood so I didn't have to feel his pain any more. That was worse then feeling my own injuries. I looked at Sookie and smiled. "It's ok, I barely feel it."

But that was perhaps one of the biggest lies I had ever told. Because the longer Godric drank from me, the more I began to feel my own pain start to seep back in. It was like the more Godric healed and the more his own pain lessened, mine seemed to triple in comparison and yet I still held on. I had to heal him even if my own anguish was beginning to take over. I knew the last of the bullets had left his body because he suddenly stopped drinking my blood and his eyes shot open. He was just sitting up on his own as my pain got the better of me and I blacked on the floor beside him.

* * *

><p><em>"What a stupid thing for her to do."<em>

_"Such a foolish girl for doing this. You would have been fine with out her blood."_

_"She was only trying to help, my child. She and I share that bond remember? She can feel my pain just as well as you can."_

_"Still, it was stupid, she needed to worry about her own injuries and instead she made you drink her blood and you did it willingly. I don't know if I can let that go..."_

_"Eric, shut up."_

"Yea Eric, shut up." I mumbled quietly as I came out of my unconscious state and gained the attention of the arguing vampires sitting on the bed in front of me. As soon as they were aware that I was really awake, their faces were both hovering over me as if to make sure it wasn't a hallucination and as I looked at the two of them staring back at me, I couldn't help but giggle, which only confused them and I couldn't stop myself from saying what I said next. "If this was a dream, then its a very good one. Who wouldn't want to wake up in bed with two vampires? That's hot."

"Uh..." Godric shot Eric a look which he returned with an equally confused expression as I pushed myself up into a sitting position and saw that I was back in the room I had been staying in at Bill's. Well that was a relief.

"I was kidding guys, relax." I said jokingly, rolling my eyes as I saw the still puzzled look on their faces as they tried to make sense of what I had just said. I ran my hands through my hair, finding it stiff with splatters of dried blood but other wise, that was the only reminder of what had happened. "Well I feel great."

"That was a very foolish thing you did Allison, giving me your blood." Godric snapped, looking me over protectively like a father would do to his young daughter but I knew he wasn't mad despite the tone he was directing at me. "You should have been getting yourself healed, but instead you wanted to give me your blood first. Very stupid, I would have been fine without it."

"That's what I said." Eric grumbled, his eyes filled with rage that I had let another vampire drink from me without the slightest hesitation.

"You needed to heal quickly and with that many bullets in you, it could have taken days for it to heal properly and we don't know when we will have to fight. So I did what I had to do." I explained, ignoring Eric's comment as I looked at the vampire who just a little while ago had been lying motionless on the floor downstairs. "I don't regret it."

"Next time, you won't do something like that if it can be avoided." He told me sternly, but underneath the frown that he wore, there was a hint of a grateful smile for my actions. But he quickly hid it before nodding over to Eric. "Eric healed you by the way."

"Did you now?" I turned my focus on the taller vampire, watching his face intently when I was told it was him who had taken away my pain and awkwardly said. "Thank you."

"Yea, whatever." Eric hissed, obviously still angry that I had let his maker drink my blood. Eric took it very personally if anything other then him tasted me and I knew he would hold a grudge over this. But what was I suppose to do? Stand by and watch his maker, my best friend, in pain when I knew I could make it easier on him? Sorry Eric, but I was always going to try and help where I can.

"So what now?" I asked, pulling my legs up to my chest as I looked back and forth between Eric and Godric, but it was Eric who responded first.

"Now, you try to not die for at least a few days, can you manage that?" He growled before getting to his feet and shooting out of the room.


	37. Fighting through

**Chapter 37 Fighting through**

_Ok Allie...just relax and breathe._

_It's day time. Eric won't be awake._

_I can slip into the house like I promised Godric I would do and I won't have to face Eric until tonight. I can do this._

_Just breathe_

I had to keep this in mind as I stood outside Eric's home early in the morning and stared up at the magnificent house that housed the vampire who had been making my life almost unbearable for the past week. I didn't want to come back here, I didn't want to face him. But I knew I couldn't stay at Bill and Sookie's house forever. They had been kind enough to let me stay as long as they had and they never once complained about it. But I knew them and I knew how much they liked it when it was just the two of them. So I had to get out of there soon anyway, not to mention I had also made a promise to Godric that I would return to the Shreveport house since it was safer for me for right now and try and talk to Eric once I was there. And I couldn't really say no to Godric, so disagreement was not an option. But I made very sure that when I did decide to come back, that it was going to be in the early morning, when I was sure Eric would not be awake to try and jump start a conversation. I may be back here, but I was not quite ready to talk to him. At least by being here now, I had the whole day to work myself up to it and that was exactly what I was going to do.

"Here goes nothing." I whispered to myself, gripping the strap of the duffel bag that I had flung over my shoulder and slipped the key into the lock, turning it quietly before rushing inside as quick as I could. I guess I was more paranoid then I thought as I locked it shut behind me with a sigh. It felt weird to be back inside this house, feeling like I had been gone longer then almost a week and I felt the heaviness of being in the same building as Eric start to creep up on me. I tried to keep my heartbeat as steady as I could while I turned around and prepared to head towards the staircase. But my moment of fragile calmness was shattered as soon as I completely turned around and found a tall figure leaning against the banister with his arms crossed. "Jesus Christ, you were suppose to be sleeping. It's morning."

"I'm aware of that." He said, unlocking his arms and strolling forward to me where I was frozen to the spot. "But Godric told me you were returning sometime today and I figured you would try and come at a time when you thought you wouldn't have to deal with me."

"You know me too well." I grumbled, gripping the strap nervously as I felt my heart flutter the closer he came. I wasn't sure what to expect from him now and to be honest, it kind of freaked me out. I had never been this on edge around Eric before and after what he put me through, I didn't quite know how to act. I was finally able to feel my legs again and when I could, I tried walking around him to the stairs. But as I was passing him, his hand shot out and grabbed me by the arm, his action so quick and alarming that it scared me and I flinched rather hard before crying out. "No! Stop it!"

"What the hell?" Eric immediately let go of me, stepping back as if he thought his touch had electrocuted me and to me, that's how it felt. Sharp, stinging and scary. I watched the way Eric looked at me, trying to establish what was going through my head since I had cut off my bond to him. Finally I saw it dawn on him and he and he stepped back towards me with a frown. "You're afraid of me aren't you?"

"I don't want to be, I really don't but yes...I am scared of you." I whispered honestly, looking down at the floor as I bit my bottom lip and fought back the urge to cry. I seemed to be doing that a lot around Eric. "I didn't think you could ever make me feel that way again."

"I didn't mean to." He said, looking almost ashamed which was a rare thing for a vampire like him, but there he was managing to do just that. And any other time I probably would have bought it but this was not one of those times. I had been pushed too far and even though Eric didn't know the truth, it still didn't give him a right to behave the way he had. He made another move over to me and said. "Allison..."

"You have the bleeds Eric, you should be resting." I told him, pointing up to his ears where there was a steady stream of blood rolling down from them as I backed away and headed for the stairs, not wanting to prolong this encounter. "Go to sleep. I will see you tonight."

"Are we going to talk later?" He asked as I reached the first step and turned back around to look at him. He tucked his hands under his arms with a frown. "Are you actually going to let me get anything worthwhile out?"

"It depends on what you say." I said back, before turning around and leaving him behind.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

_"Hey Holly? Can I talk to you for a minute? It's kind of important."_

_"Of course you can talk to me, I'm always here to listen."_

_"That's good because I need you to listen to me very carefully because I need a favor from you. And it's not something you should take lightly in any sense..."_

Sookie knew that when she pulled Holly aside that morning at Merlotte's that it was going to be one of the tougher conversations she had ever had to initiate. It wasn't just tough because of the subject matter, although that was pretty difficult. But it was also because she was going to be asking a favor of someone she didn't know all that well. Sure she and Holly worked at the same bar, but they were work friends and things had never gone passed that except when Sookie had gone to her for help when Allie was under that spell. So now she was standing here with her co-worker about to jump right over that line that kept them from being friends outside of work. Because once Sookie explained everything to her and why she needed to ask this favor of her, it was going to throw them together in a big way. And there was no way it wouldn't because of one little fact in the equation.

She was trying to recruit Holly and Holly's coven to join them in battle.

_"Uh, I'm sorry. It must be the early morning sun causing a weird brain reaction, but I'm sure you just asked me to join a war."_

_"That's exactly what I did. I need your help again and if possible, I would like you to try and convince your coven to help too."_

_"This is about the trouble your cousin is in isn't it? With that coven in Dallas?"_

_"Yea, it is and it if the situation wasn't getting more desperate then we would handle this on our own. But we can't do that any longer. I know you have heard about the attacks and all the destruction going on and we can't just sit by and let it continue to happen. Because if these witches succeed...if they end up getting Allie and taking her powers...then no one can stop them..and I highly doubt they will leave the rest of the world alone. With that much power, they might even try and come after any other witches they think they can take easily..."_

_"So you want me to join the battle...and get the rest of my coven in the fray as well..."_

_"It would be more helpful if we had witches on our side, yes...but I'm not going to force you, threaten you or guilt trip you into helping us...I just want to state the facts...and then the decision is up to you."_

Sookie knew that it was going to be tough to convince Holly to do this and it should be tough. She was basically asking this woman, who she didn't know that well, to join forces with a bunch of vampires and go to war, while blindly believing that it was all going to be worth it in the end. Of course Sookie was hoping that it did turn out as well as it possibly could, but she wasn't so naïve as to assume it definitely would. This was a battle after all, there were going to be deaths and injuries and mental scars that would last a lifetime. Even if they all lived, there would still be lasting effects from this time. And it wasn't just any battle, it was a battle involving supernatural creatures. Vampires and witches and god only knows what else would be there so it was going to be a fight to the death times a million. And there was no use in pretending it wasn't going to be like that, because it would be a lie. This battle was going to be the toughest thing any of them ever faced, because it was essentially their lives on the line. If they didn't stop these witches, then they would take Allie and take her powers, simple as that. And if they succeeded in making that happen, they would be more powerful then then they already were. And then there would be no stopping them after that. They would have all the power they needed to get anything they wanted and who knew who else they would go after. She wasn't lying to Holly when she said the witches could possibly go after other witches, including her. And the only way to insure they wouldn't cause more destruction would be to stop them now before they got to Allie and her powers. But then again it was up to Holly to decide whether she wanted to put herself in the position to be in this battle and risk everything for the future. No one could force her.

_"You know what? Count me in."_

_"Seriously?"_

_"Yes...i don't know about the rest of my coven, but I will explain the situation to them and see if I can convince them to also help...but you still have me either way...I'm not willing to risk having my freedom taken away by a bunch of witches that are ruining it for the rest of us...so yea, I will help you."_

_"Holly thank you so much"_

_"Of course, I mean, this is no longer just about your cousin..the fate of all of us hang in the balance with the outcome of this war...This is everyone's battle now."_

* * *

><p><em><span>6:00 p.m.<span>_

_"Hello Godric."_

_"Hello Isabel, I trust to find you well?"_

_"For now, things remain at a standstill, as I have been awaiting your next call and I assume this what this is about."_

_"Unfortunately, you assume right. I wish I was calling for other reasons, but it is for the exact reason I reached out to you before."_

_"The attacks are getting worse?"_

_"Yes, and it turns out this coven is targeting the people and beings around Allison in an attempt to send a message."_

_"What have they done?"_

_"More accurately...what haven't they done.."_

Godric hated making phone calls like these because he hating being the bearer of bad news but he had no choice but to reach out to his former Dallas comrade and hope she could provide him with the guidance he was seeking. He may have had thousands of years on her, but he saw her as his equal and more importantly as his friend. And contrary to what he told Allison, it wasn't just the two of them who knew the truth about how this situation would really end. He had quietly explained the whole truth to Isabel, knowing without a doubt that she would keep it to herself and thus ensuring he would have someone to speak to about this whenever he felt too alone in the situation. And if there was any other vampire who was better to talk to about this other then Eric, then it was Isabel. It also helped that she was still Sheriff of his former area and could easily keep an eye on things down there and keep him updated on any trouble brewing. And when this problem with the coven and the Fellowship had started up, she had been the first one he reached out to for any kind of help and for the last few months they kept in touch trying to figure out a way to end all this peacefully, but it seemed like that just wasn't in the cards for them.

_"Godric, there is something I have been meaning to say to you for a while now and I think this is as good a time as any to say it."_

_"What is it?"_

_"I think, and this is entirely still up to you...but I think we should still go through with creating an army...I think if we don't then it will a mistake."_

_"I've been going down that road myself."_

_"Even if Allison does die, there's not a good chance that this coven is going to stop attacking anyway. And if that happens, they may come after anyone associated with her and try to exact revenge for keeping her from them. So we need to be prepared just in case."_

_"I can't believe it has come to this...will there ever be peace amongst the supernatural community?"_

_"At this point in time, I do not believe that is a possibility."_

Godric hated resorting to violence as a means to establish peace but there was no other way to get to that end result except by going to war. It wasn't as if he could just walk up to the leader of this coven and talk them into submission. He would wind up dead before he could even finish his argument and he had promised Allison that he wouldn't put himself at risk like that. And he had no desire to have his life come to an end. It was a different story last year, a different time. And this year, he was determined to come out fighting for his life. He would not simply let it be taken from him, which is what the witches would intend to do if they weren't stopped. With Allison's powers, they could easily control vampires and anything else they desired. So unless they all wanted to be slaves to this disgustingly evil coven, then they had to fight, even with the promised death sentence laid before his Faerie friend.

_"Godric, I have gathered together as many willing vampires in my area to bring with me when we come to fight. I tried to get more, but I do not feel it is right to force my comrades to fight if they do not wish to. So I only accepted the willing."_

_"That is fine Isabel, you have done all you can. As long as we can join the Dallas vampires with the vampires here in Shreveport, then I think we have a fighting chance. Especially if Sookie succeeds in recruiting a local coven to fight with us."_

_"Will it be enough?"_

_"We could always use more vampires, but if there are none who want to fight then...wait a second."_

_"What is it Godric?"_

_"I think I know where I can find a few more vampires that are willing to fight...it will just require me to go out of town for a short while."_

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

_"Allison, it's Godric. I need you to listen to me very carefully and follow any order I make of you. I need to go out of town for a little while on business and it's extremely important that you do not do anything to put your safety in jeopardy. I know this won't be easy for you to do, but stick close to Eric until I get back. It may not always seem like it, but he does have your best interests at heart and he will protect you. So please do this for me until I return. I won't be gone long. Stay safe little Fae."_

"Damn you Godric, you don't skip town with out talking to me in person." I groaned, hitting the end button on my phone and tossing it on the nightstand a little harder then I intended to. I had woken up from a late nap to find Godric's voice-mail on my cell phone and I listened to it, hoping to hear that he would be coming here to keep Eric away from me. But it turned out to be the exact opposite as he wanted to stay by Eric's side while Godric ran off and did who knows what. As if this week weren't bad enough, I now had to deal with Eric on my own. And I guess there was no time like the present to do it.

I slid out of bed, dressed in only a pair of black pajama bottoms and a gray tank top and left my room in search of the vampire I really wished I could avoid. But I had basically been in my room all day since I had arrived here this morning and it was high time that I got out of there and attempted to have a semi-normal routine going on while I was here. I slowly walked down the stairs, gripping the banister tightly as I went and listened for any sound of Eric moving though the house but there was none. I heard the cracking of the fire coming from the library and with it now being night time, Eric was most likely in that room. I almost wanted to run back up to my room, but I held my ground and walked down the remaining steps. Eric had amazing hearing and probably already knew that I was downstairs so I might as well go see him.

I reached the door of the library and peeked around the frame work and into the room, finding Eric stretched out on one of the leather sofas with an old, worn book in his large hand. However, when my presence became aware to him, he tossed the book aside and swung his feet down to the floor.

"Godric left me a voice-mail, he said he was going out of town on business." I spoke up before he could, wanting to have charge of this extremely short conversation and watched as he nodded for me to go on. "Did you know he was leaving?"

"He did tell me he had something to do. He called me after he left that message for you and explained probably exactly what he told you." Eric replied, his blue eyes staring into mine intensely as he spoke as if he were trying to hold me here as long as he could with that look. "But he didn't divulge what he was doing or where he was going."

"Ok then." I said dryly, prepared to turn around and leave but I decided against it and instead found myself walking across the floor and sitting on the sofa with Eric. Granted it was on the opposite end of the sofa, but still on the same one. I didn't look at him as I got settled with my bare feet on the floor and my hands in my lap while my eyes stared blankly ahead with my heart pounding wildly inside of me. For a while there was only the sound of the fire cracking and the occasional screech of the wind that blew through the yard. Other then that, it was virtually silent as we sat there not saying anything to each other for what felt like the longest two minutes of my life. I didn't know what to say to Eric, so until I did, I wasn't willing to break the silence.

But he was.

"I'm sorry." His words came out so fast and so jumbled together that I almost didn't catch it but there was nothing to distract me in that room and so I was able to hear him when he said this. I turned my head to the left, allowing my eyes to drift up to his face as he repeated those two words that should have fixed everything. "I'm sorry."

"Yea...you should be." I surprised myself for two reason. One for the simple fact that I responded at all, because I could have been childish and refused to talk to him, but I was too mature for that. And the other reason was because I normally let things go and said it was alright. But not this time, this time I wasn't letting him get away with it. "You should be sorry Eric."

"That's it?" He asked with a frown, like he wasn't understanding what was going on. I guess my answer took him as much by surprise as it did me.

"What did you expect Eric?" I asked, getting annoyed that he was under the impression that I would just accept his apology and we would move on like he always had. Well, it was time for a wake up call. "Seriously, did you think I was just going to let it go like I usually do? Did you think I was going to let you run me into the ground and scare the shit out of me for no reason, only to be the passive girl and let it be over? Just let it roll off my back like it's nothing? Like it's no big deal? Well it is a big deal. Bigger then you think. And I'm tired of having to put up with your attitude and behavior. It's not working for me anymore and I can't take it."

We both fell silent again, my words seeming to have a silencing effect on Eric as he sat back against the leather cushions and stared straight ahead just like I was doing. I knew he was pissed that I wasn't letting this go, I could feel it through our blood bond and he was mad. But I wasn't at all worried about that because frankly I didn't care. I knew I was in the right here. I was perfectly allowed to be made at him for how he had treated me and whatever method I used to feel better was the right one because Eric had messed up big time and it was up to him to say all the right things, not me. And through our bond I could feel a rush of things from him that said he was perhaps on the path to doing just that. I felt his fear and frustration, his anger and loss of control, his love for me and his deep shame,t he last of which shook me harder then I thought it would.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore." Eric's body was settling on the spot right next to me so our hands were almost touching on the space between us but they weren't. "I'm asshole and I hurt people without a second thought, including you. And I don't want to do that anymore."

"Then don't." I whispered, turning to look at him with a wetness rimming my eyes and almost blurring my vision. "Just love me and let me love you. Stop finding excuses to push me away, because that's what you're doing."

"I know." He nodded and then he took a giant leap of faith by closing the distance between us and took my hand in his, forcing me to look at him when he spoke. "You're right...i was wrong."

""You're wrong a lot." I told him him with a heavy sigh and upon seeing the look in his eyes, I removed my hand from his and moved my body until I could lean my head against his shoulder and wrap my hands around his arm. "But deep down, I know you only act like this because you care."

"I do care." He said, placing his hand on my face so I was looking at him while his thumb traced a circle on my cheek. "Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"That depends..." I replied back, looking into his eyes for clarity. "Will you always love me no matter what?"

"Of course I will." He exclaimed, obviously taken aback by my question but I simply laughed and laid my cheek against his shoulder again, hoping that maybe this time we would find a more stable ground to stand on together. "I could never stop loving you."

"Then I just may be able to find it in me to forgive you."


	38. Because of you

**Chapter 38 Because of you**

_2 days later_

"Ok, Ok. I think I have reached my limit for tonight." I called out to Eric from my spot across the yard where I had skidded to a stop and waved my free hand as my arm curved around my midsection. "I'm starting to get dizzy and out of breath."

It was 2 nights after Eric and I had awkwardly started to put the pieces of our relationship back together again, when I decided to take a giant leap of faith by asking him to practice with me out in the yard again so I could strengthen my abilities. It was a real test to see how much he had taken our fight seriously and I would be honest when I said I was scared about doing this. Eric was unpredictable at best and it wouldn't be the first time he went back on his word after we had talked. So when I brought this idea up to him, I was feeling a little uneasy about how it would go. It was one thing for him to say he wouldn't act like that again when we were talking about it. And it was an entirely different thing to be in the moment and see if he would harness his own opinions and keep it to himself. But then again, even if he did try and pull a fast one, I was completely ready to push back at him. I was refusing to be the meek girlfriend any longer and if I thought Eric was stepping out of line, then I would have no qualms about telling him to back off. He had no control over me, no one did. I was my own master and he couldn't force me to do anything I didn't want to do. So I knew if it came down to that, I would have the strength to stand up to him.

"Don't you think you are quitting just a little bit early?" Eric asked upon rushing across the yard and over to where I was now sitting on the steps of the back porch trying to catch my breath. He put one foot on the wood and leaned over with his arms on his knee so he was looking right at me. "You've only been at this for an hour. You should keep on going for at least another 30 minutes."

"I can't do that, I don't have the strength tonight. I'm trying my hardest but sometimes I just can't keep going. It's harder when I'm trying to use two abilities at once, it wipes me out faster." I told him, running my fingers through the ends of my hair as I kept my stare level. "So I'm going to need a break right now."

"I still think its best if you practice a little longer." Eric pushed further his opinion because I knew he just couldn't help himself. If he thought he was right then he would stop at nothing to make sure everyone believed it too. "You can handle 30 minutes."

"Eric, I say this with love. Please, back the fuck off!" I shot back at him with a smile as I watched the effect my words had on his and he actually stood up in shock, the surprise evident in every part of his face. And I couldn't help but laugh at this. "What? Didn't think I would be more assertive this time around?"

"Honestly, no. Because you usually let me get my own way, so this is a change." He nodded, not looking exactly pleased that I was calling the shots but his expression did relax into a more soften look as he moved over to the steps and sat beside me, leaning back on the porch with his elbows. "But sometimes, when you tell me what to do...it's kind of hot."

"Really?" I started to smirk widely at his comment, knowing I had hit a tiny soft spot in him that liked when I was the dominator in our relationship. "I may have to tell you what to do more often since you seem to like it so much."

"Not a chance. And I said sometimes I like it, not all the time." He retorted, sending me one of his famous snug looks as he laughed. "I like being the one in charge."

"Of course you do. You wouldn't be you if you didn't say stuff like that." I pointed out, thinking of all the times he had been his stubborn self and how I had always hated it. But then there were those rare times when I actually was amused by it, and right now was one of them. "You can be such a hard ass when you think you are right. You know?"

"What can I say, when I am in that frame of mind...I like to go hard." He chuckled, raising his eyebrows at me the moment I rolled my eyes. "What did I say?"

"Nothing except typical Eric Northman lines." I sighed happily, surprised that things had made such a turn around since we were last out in this yard. It hadn't been easy coming back from that, but we were slowly started to heal each other again, and I was actually finding strength in this relationship again. I wanted to have as many of these care-free and fun moments as I could before everything changed. I liked it when Eric was spitting out these playful comments so I decided to throw one in myself. "Should we have sex?"

"No...I'm not the mood."

"You? Not in the mood? Now there is something I really never thought I would ever hear you say." I said teasingly, trying to appear innocent when he glared at me. "What? I know that was a joke because you are always in the mood."

"Ok, that may be true..." He grudgingly agreed, turning on the steps to face me and I was a little taken aback by the softened expression he sent my way. "But you also said you were tired and I didn't want to exhaust you even more."

"Well look at you getting all nice and considerate for a change." I laughed moving closer so I could place my hand on his face in amusement. "Godric would be so proud of you right now."

"Oh yes, I love bringing up my maker when you and I are alone. That just makes everything even better." He said sarcastically, leaning over and captured my lips with his, kissing me deeply and causing me to shudder before he pulled back with a grin. "But you do have a point. He would be happy that I'm not being a dick to you for one night."

"I miss him." I said, thinking of my best friend who had been standing by me through everything this year and now he was off doing something that I had no idea about and neither did Eric. "It's been 2 days. When do you think he's coming back?"

"Am I not enough of a distraction for you?" He asked with a fake frown. "Do you prefer my maker's company over my own?"

"Not really. Because you have sex with me, Godric doesn't. Trust me, I've asked and he keeps shutting me down." I grinned, watching Eric's face be momentarily overcome by a look of honest rage before I quickly cut back in. "Uh, I'm kidding. I could never sleep with Godric even if you and I weren't together."

"Good to know." He looked relieved which only further served to make him more human in my eyes. Eric Northman, a jealous vampire. Who doesn't love that?

"Don't worry Eric, you will be the only person I ever sleep with. There will never be another to take your place."

* * *

><p><em>An hour later<em>

_"Hello my child."_

_"Godric, its been two fucking days without any contact. Do you know how unacceptable that is?"_

_"Why Eric, this is a surprise reaction. Are you missing me?"_

_"You're my maker and I was worried, even if I didn't feel anything through our bond. But mostly because of Allison, she's wondering where you are and just a few minutes ago she was saying she missed you."_

_"That girl feels so intensely for everything around her and we have a bond like no other in existence. Of course she would be missing me."_

Godric grinned slightly to himself as he replayed his conversation with Eric in his head from earlier and he couldn't help but find amusement in his child's lack of small talk when it came to the two of them. Or more accurately the three of them, because at that point in their lives it was no longer just him and Eric, it was now Eric, him and Allison. And hearing that he was being missed while he had been away would have warmed his heart if he had one. Eric would never flat out say that he missed his maker but Godric knew he did because he felt nearly everything his child felt and then some things he really wished he didn't feel. And Allison had no trouble saying what was on her mind even if there hadn't been a blood bond to begin with. She didn't hold back from what she was thinking like she did with her actions and it pleased him to know that she held their relationship in the same regard as he did. Granted, he knew Eric wasn't pleased when Allison brought him up because even though he assured his child his feelings for Allison were always going to remain friendly, Godric knew Eric still went through the motions of feeling jealous when her mind was occupied by any other vampire besides him.

_"So Eric..."_

_"So Godric..."_

_"How are things with Allison? Have you two been getting along while I __have been gone?"_

_"What you're really asking is if I have apologized yet and whether or not I am behaving myself now. Am I right?"_

_"You might be...I just don't want to see her more hurt then she already is."_

_"Already taken care of that and I was a good boy. I said I was sorry and that I wouldn't hurt her anymore."_

_"Wow...that's impressive, especially for you."_

_"Oh I know..."_

Godric was beyond pleased to hear that things were working out for his child and Allison. He had been fearful that a prolonged amount of time together so soon after such a huge fallout, would end up being detrimental to the both of them. But he really didn't have much of a choice. He had to go out of town to do something that was essential and he couldn't take Allison with him. It would give those witches too much of an opportunity to attack when they were at their most vulnerable. And he couldn't just leave her on her own, even if she were surrounded by other vampires. It was the safest if she were by Eric's side where she would be the most protected. As long as Eric was around, her life was safe. Even if they had been going through a tough time lately, but luckily it seemed like that was changing and he couldn't have been more thrilled about it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about anything concerning Allison and could just concentrate on what he had come here to do.

When he had decided to make this sudden trip, he knew it could possibly be a long shot of getting it to work. Even if you thought you knew a person, asking them to do something so life changing as to fight in a war could bring on an answer that you may not expect them to give. So he had set out with the mind frame that he would not be getting the help he was seeking. And he couldn't be upset if that turned out to be true. Because you can't just force people to lay down their lives and fight in a war that didn't affect them. Sacrificing your own life was not something you take lightly in deciding and Godric wasn't able to give these vampires much time to decide. But thankfully, a lot of time was not needed and he would be able to return home as fast as he could manage and get back to the two most important people, Eric and Allison.

_"Where are you anyway? You never did give me any indication where you were headed."_

_"I cannot reveal where I went until I am in standing in front of you again, it's not safe to do it over the phone. But I will tell you this though, it won't be long until we are all reunited again."_

_"You're on your way back?"_

_"Yes I am, I did what I set out to do and now I'm coming home. I'm still a couple of hours away but I will be back tonight."_

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"Ok, remind me again why you are dropping me off at Bill's house without giving me the chance to decide what I want to do?" Allison demanded up at him as they stood together in the middle of the yard outside the younger vampire's home while he prepared to say good bye to her, but she wasn't making it very easy. "The whole reason I left Bon Temps and moved in with you is because we all agreed it was the safer option."

"It still is the safer option, but I have to go to Fangtasia for a while tonight and I don't feel right about leaving you all alone. At least if you're here, Bill will be around to watch over you until I return." He explained, touching a piece of her hair that had blown across her face when they had been flying. "And no one knows you're here. So as long as you stay at the house while I'm gone, then you will be just as safe as you would be if you were at our home."

"Our home, I love that you call it that." She grinned up at him, her mood suddenly shifted at his words and she moved forward to wrap her arms around him with a happy sigh. "It sounds so nice."

"Well that's because it's true. It's not just my house any more, it's yours too." He shrugged, not understanding how humans could get so tickled by something as trivial as this. But then again, Allison wasn't human and she knew what it meant for a vampire like him to share his possessions and living space with someone else. Vampires were selfish by nature and they tended to keep to themselves a lot and he was already more possessive and territorial then most immortals. But here he was, inviting her into his home and asking her to make it her own as well and now he couldn't imagine not having her there. And it was because of this that he understood why she was so moved by his statement. And it was also what led him to jokingly make this next point. "Now if you just agreed to marry me then a lot more could be yours too."

"And there goes the real Eric Northman.." Allison rolled her eyes but she was obviously amused by this because her green orbs were sparkling. "You can be charming for like only a minute at a time."

"But that's why it works, because its good in short bursts and it leaves you wanting more." He pointed out, smirking when she actually nodded in agreement. "See? I told you I was right."

"On this point you are. But a lot of the time you're wrong." She shot back, tucking her hair behind her ears before she looked up at him pleadingly. "And you're wrong about leaving me here. Why can't I just go with you to the bar? I promise to behave myself and not get into any trouble."

"Why do I believe that will never be true?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest while he awaited her answer, fighting back the urge to laugh in her face as she looked aghast.

"I don't go looking for trouble, trouble just seems to really like me these days." She shrugged, looking towards the house where Sookie and Bill were inside for her. "It's not that I don't want to be here, it's just that I'd rather be with you."

"You women can't get enough of me." He shook his head, placing his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place as he spoke. "If I thought it was safe for you there then I would bring you with me. But being out in the open at a bar with vampires and humans and who knows what else, it would just provide the ample opportunity for someone to attack."

"But I would..." She began to protest, but she fell silent when he placed a cold finger against her lips.

"I don't want you in the midst of any possible chaos, even if it has nothing to do with you." He told her, feeling a flash of love towards her and he immediately gathered her in his arms in a more touching way then he was use to showing. "I don't anything to happen to you. So just do me this favor and stay here without protest."

"Fine, but you better hurry back at the first moment you can." She said, poking him in the chest with her finger as a smirk spread across her face. "Because I would really like to have some dirty sex with you at some point tonight."

"Then I will most definitely get make as soon as I can." He grinned, placing a hand at the back of her head and drew her forward for a kiss which she happily returned with the same passion he was exhibiting onto her. When he pulled back, he saw the look on her face and laughed. "Now that will have to last you until I get back."

"You're such a tease." She groaned, moving towards the house in a backwards fashion.

"No my dear, you are the real tease." He smirked before launching himself into the air and flew away from her, already counting down the minutes and seconds until he could be with her again.

* * *

><p><em><span>2 days ago<span>_

_"Are you ready for this? Are you ready to do this mission that we have called upon you to do?" Steve Newlin asked the tall vampire that sat before him, strapped to the chair in silver chains, courtesy of the witches that also were scattered around the room. It unnerved him to be this close to a vampire after what happened a year ago, but the coven had assured him his life was not in danger and that they were controlling the dead man's every move with their unique abilities. So he felt a little bit more at ease about addressing this abomination in any matter that he saw fit as long these witches held up their end of the bargain._

_"Perhaps I should lift the silencing spell so he can answer you Mr. Newlin." The head witch pointed out with an expression of fake innocence. She then proceeded to lay her hands on the vampire's shoulders and mutter something in a foreign language before she dropped her hands to her side. "There, that should loosen his tongue..."_

_"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU'RE LUCKY I'M IN THIS GOD DAMN CHAIR, WRAPPED IN SILVER OR ELSE I WOULD BE KILLING EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU FUCKERS..."_

_"Ignore him, he's just a little on edge because he hasn't fully accepted his fate in life." The witch said, quickly whispering another chant before the vampire fell silent again and she looked up with a smile. "Sorry about that. He wasn't too happy when we kidnapped him and now he's just being rude and taking it out on you."_

_"As long as he fulfills his purpose, then he can speak in any manner he chooses. But I prefer that you keep him silent until we send him on his way." Steve told the witch, stepping back to his desk and leaned against it with his arms crossed as he thought about the next mission they were about to pull off. "Can you guarantee that this will work? That the spell will stay in place and do what it's suppose to do?"_

_"Mr. Newlin, I have been a master of my craft for a very long time." The witch assured him, smacking the imprisoned vampire with her silver glove. "So when I say I will get something done, then rest assure that it will happen just like I told you."_

_"Remind me again why you don't just take the girl."_

_"Because as I explained to you once, she is too powerful to simply take by force even if she doesn't realize it yet. And she now has the power to see the future and she would know when we were coming for her. So me must go about this in another way."_

_"Hence the reason for kidnapping a vampire."_

_"Exactly, because the vampire we can control to do things that we want. And when we send him to sniff out the Faerie, he will cause enough panic to emotionally devastate that girl to the point where she will be begging us to take her. It's much more fun this way if she comes to us willingly to give us what we want rather then fighting for her."_

_"And how can you be sure that she will come to you? This may just push her to stay even more hidden."_

_"Not if we take away the most important thing in her life..."_

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in present time<span>_

"...I still can't believe you didn't tell me all this as it was happening.."

"I know...but it was all getting so crazy that I just wanted to forget it ever happened."

"You were in a car accident...attacked by a werewolf.."

"Yea and injured in the process, which shouldn't surprise anyone.."

"And then Eric decides to be an asshole to you over training and takes everything way, way too far.."

"Won't disagree with you on that one."

"And then you and Godric get shot and you feed him your blood, which only pisses Eric off even more...and then the most important thing of all out of everything..."

"Oh I know where this is going to lead." I said with an amused smile as I turned to look at Sookie from my spot on Bill's front porch as she paced back and forth in front of me, as we continued to talk about all the events that had happened in the last few weeks that we hadn't been able to talk about until tonight. So in a way it was a good thing that Eric had left me here with Bill and Sookie. It gave me a chance to get my cousin really caught up with what was going on in my life. And it was just occurring to me how much we had failed to keep doing that lately. So I looked at her as she sat down beside me and I finished her thought. "You're talking about the proposal, right?"

"Well of course I am, I mean it is the biggest news of all." Sookie exclaimed, looking more excited and animated over this then anything else. "And I still can't believe you turned him down. No one says no to Eric Northman."

"Well I did and I had a good reason to say no." I told her, thinking back to that night when Eric had tried to take our relationship to the next level without even really giving it all that much consideration. "I mean, you know I love him and yes I did say that if he were to ever ask me that I would say yes immediately. But it wasn't for the right reasons that he was asking me."

"And what were those reasons?" She asked me as a breeze blew through the yard and porch and ruffled our loose hair.

"This happened the night Godric came back and told us the witches wanted me for me powers" I of course jumped over the real truth at this point, not able to divulge it to my cousin. "And that it would lead to war. I didn't want Eric to propose to me because there was a chance neither of us might live because that's what it felt like he was believing, at least to me. And I didn't want to say yes if he was only doing it because he was afraid of losing me."

"But if everything does turn out alright, and it will...what do you think will happen?" Sookie watched me intently for my answer, a happy shine in her eyes because I honestly think that she wanted me to have what her and Bill had even if Eric wasn't exactly the ideal candidate. "Do you think he will ask you again?"

"I told him to wait until we live through this war first and if he was still serious then he could ask me for a second time and then I would say yes." I grinned, thinking that if that moment could come true then it would be so wonderful. I never thought I would find someone who would ever want to marry me and Eric was trying to do just that. And I wished with all my heart and soul that I could have lived to see the look on his face when I said yes to his proposal. But that would never happen, so I shouldn't even be dwelling on this subject for too long or else it would depress me. "Look me and Eric aren't talking about it anymore so maybe..."

"Speaking of the devil, look who just arrived." Sookie said suddenly just as the sound of wind ripped through the yard and she pointed out in front of us to where a tall figure was coming across the grass. Sookie turned to me with a smile. "I guess he will be taking you away from us now."

"I guess he is." I shook my head with a grin as I stood up and walked down the steps slowly, strolling towards Eric as he looked me over intently with his ice blue eyes. "Eric, you're back so soon. You said you would be gone for at least a few hours.."

"Well, it turns out that I was not needed for the entire night, so I decided to come back for you." He said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black slacks and sent a smirk my way. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"I'm always glad to see you." I assured him, closing the distance between us and wrapping my arms around his midsection, desperately wanting to be close to him. I would have kissed him right then and there but Sookie was still standing on the porch and I didn't quite feel right about acting on my urges in front of her. "So does this mean we can get out of here?"

"Whenever you want to." He agreed with no resistance and that made me grin because when Eric didn't fight me on something that usually meant he had more amusing activities he wanted us to indulge in.

"I'm just going to say goodbye to Bill and Sookie and then I will be right back." I told him, unlocking my arms from around him and stepping backwards with a grin, surprised that one little minute of interaction was having such an effect on me. I had barely taken a few steps when I was unable to resist the urge to kiss and was just turning back to do that when my whole world changed in the matter of a few seconds.

I had just spun around on my heel, prepared to close the distance between us and kiss him even though Sookie was on the porch watching us but I never got the chance to even take a step towards the man I loved. It all happened so fast that my heart and lungs were struggling to catch up to what I was seeing before my eyes. One moment Eric was standing there with his hands in his pockets staring at me with his trademark smirk while he waited for me to come with him. But the next second changed everything. Because that next second I was watching as out of nowhere, out of the darkness, a sharp wooden stake was flying through the air towards Eric at a speed I couldn't even begin to fight against. And to my utter horror, it plunged into his chest and then... he just was no more. He exploded into a cloud of blood and guts, not longer the tall figure I had loved for so long.

The blood had barely finished splattering on me before I fell to the ground at Eric's bloody remains, the only thing left of the man I loved.


	39. Frozen

**A/N: Song used in this chapter is "Frozen" By Madonna...i do not take any credit for these Lyrics.**

**Chapter 39 Frozen**

_Now there's no point in placing the blame  
>And you should know I'd suffer the same<br>If I lose you, my heart would be broken _

* * *

><p>No<p>

No

No...that did not just happen. It had to have been an illusion. It just had to be. Because there was no fucking way that I saw Eric Northman, the love of my life die right in front of me. He was a thousand year old vampire, a former viking, and the strongest person I knew. There was no way he could have been brought down like this. Not like this, not so soon. Not when we hadn't even had a chance to begin our lives together. It had to be a lie. There was no other outcome I was willing to accept.

But it was no lie and it wasn't an illusion. I was beginning to realize that now the more I was able to take in the scene around me and it horrified me more then anything had up to this point. I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I had fallen to the ground right in the pile of what was Eric's remains, but as my vision came back into focus it was apparent that I hadn't moved in the slightest. I was still on my knees, the blood staining my clothing as I stared at this goo, willing it to turn back into the vampire that I had fallen in love. But it didn't, it couldn't. He was gone, dead. And knowing that I would never see him again made my vision cloud over again with un-shed tears. This was all that was left of him, this blood and guts and his clothing. The only reminders of what had been standing here not that long ago. And was now here to remind me of what I had just lost. I don't know if it was the shock that had kept me from feeling anything at first, but now I was slowly starting to feel the numbness wear off and the pain was slowly creeping in, stealing pieces of my heart as it came at me like an unseen enemy. I tried to move, not wanting to be here on this cold ground but my knees were frozen to the dirt, keeping me there for more torment then I was prepared to handle.

I couldn't handle this. I had never prepared myself for the possibility of what it would be like to lose Eric. If anything, I always thought I would be the one to die first. And actually I had been set to die very soon. But Eric had beaten me to it. He had left me here all alone to face an enemy and death with out any warning. And that killed my soul.

From that moment on, the numbness set back in, washing over my body in a cold layer that made me shake uncontrollably to the point that my teeth were rattling. I reached up, wiping the blood from my face and seeing that it was smudge across the back of my hand from water. My tears had begun falling without me even realizing it, spilling over my cheeks and leaving trails in the blood on my face. My entire body felt cold and dirty. I wanted to move so desperately, to take off and go away into the night and leave all this behind. But I couldn't do that, I couldn't leave Eric here all alone. But this wasn't Eric anymore, Eric was dead and gone. And he wasn't coming back. A sharp pain went through my midsection, stealing my breath and making me cry even harder. But I didn't care, I cared about nothing anymore. The one thing I did care about was now a pile of blood and guts all around me. I had nothing left. Nothing.

"Allison...Allison, can you hear me?" A soft voice asked, breaking through my haze just as a pair of hands pressed on either side of my face and turned my my head to look up and I was staring at Godric, who was looking at me with an expression of fear and concern. "What happened?"

"He's...he's dead. Eric's dead." I don't know how I had it in me to say those words out loud because they were scary enough to just say in my head, but to actually project them out of my body was an entirely different level of horror that shook me so violently that Godric had to grab me in his arms just as I started hyperventilating. "They killed him...he's dead."

"Allison, he's not..."

"He's dead...He's dead." My tears dripped down over the bridge of my nose as I clung to Godric, my heart feeling like it was being ripped to shreds. I was cold, so utterly cold and it had nothing to do with being in proximity of another vampire. I had a feeling this kind of cold was never going to go away, no matter how many years passed. Those years, even if by some miracle I did live passed this war, those years would mean nothing if Eric wasn't here. I shook harder then ever before, forcing Godric to hold on to me tighter as I fell back into my haze and whispered. "He's dead, Eric's dead."

_Now there's no point in placing the blame  
>And you should know I'd suffer the same<br>If I lose you, my heart would be broken _

* * *

><p><em><span>12 minutes later<span>_

"Godric, what do we do? How do we help her" Sookie demanded of him as he gave up trying to pull Allison away from the blood pile out on the lawn and moved up to join her and Bill on the porch as they too appeared too shocked to even move towards her. Sookie was also crying, but it was probably mostly due to the fact that Allison was so distraught and not because of Eric's apparent death. Sookie grabbed him by the arm with a furiously desperate look in her eyes and demanded the same request. "What are we suppose to do? This will destroy her."

"No it won't because Eric's not really dead." Godric told him, watching as they both turned to look at each other in confusion, seeming unwilling to accept his words and he understand why. If they had seen Eric die right in front of them, then it was going to be very hard to convince them otherwise. The eyes were an important tool in convincing a person of anything. He looked back at Allison's crumbled over figure that was still shaking uncontrollably and fought the urge to let himself cry. He couldn't cry when he knew the situation was not as it seemed. "Eric's not dead, I assure you. If he was then I would have felt it through the bond we share and I have not felt anything. And nothing can interfer with the bond of maker and child. So I know Eric's alright."

"I don't understand. Eric's not dead? How is that possible?" Sookie gripped her hair tightly, obviously overwhelmed with this information coming at her so fast and trying to process it so quickly. "I saw him...I saw him get staked right in front of Allie. I watched him explode just like every vampire does. Allison is on the ground right now sobbing her heart out, she wouldn't be doing that if Eric wasn't really dead. And now you're telling us that he's not? Once again, I ask this. How is it possible?"

"That wasn't the real Eric. It was a vampire, but it wasn't him. The witches must have sent him here under a spell to look like Eric. Only a witch could have replicated his likeness so well. It most have been their idea of a good way to torment Allie by making her think he was dead." Godric hissed these words in disgust, his hands curling tightly into themselves at the length the witches had gone to get what they wanted. He wanted to go out and kill them, rip them apart slowly until they were begging him to kill them. He had never found himself as furious as he was right now. They had gone too far tonight. And they were going to pay. But first he had to make sure that they all knew the truth about what had happened here tonight. So they could help Allison. He turned his eyes back on Sookie and Bill and said. "Eric's alive and well. If he had met the true death, then I would have known. But he hasn't. This was a set up, those witches wanted Allison to think he was dead."

"But why? What would they gain from doing something this bizarre?" Bill asked, his solemn face flashing with the anger he too was holding within. Bill was a young vampire still and would be more keen to give in to his thirst for revenge then Godric would. But Bill was harnessing his aggression for the moment until Godric told them what they should do. "Why would they want her to think he was dead?"

"Probably for the same reason they have attacked every other time. They must figure that if they break her down enough, that she will go to them willingly and offer herself. It would be more fun for them if they know they conquered her to the point where they wouldn't even have to take her, she would just go to them." Godric explained, unable to stop looking at the sobbing, shaking girl out on the lawn. He had tried his hardest to get her to come into the house, but she had refused to budge and only cried out the more he tried to move her. So he had no choice but to leave her there and come speak with Sookie and Bill. "I can't seem to snap her out of it. She's too far gone in her head to hear any of us."

"I fucking hate witches." Bill grumbled, his face tightening up in fury as he too looked at Allison. "I'm going to enjoy ripping apart every single one of them."

"Maybe if I try to push through with my telepathy I can get her to listen." Sookie said hopefully, her face full of sorrow for the girl crying out on the lawn. "It will work right Godric?"

"I don't think it will. She can't seem to process what I was telling her and I don't think going through her mind will help either." Godric shook his head sadly.

"I will slaughter them." Bill growled, revenge still obviously on his mind.

"We will get them back for all they have done, but right now our focus needs to be on Allison. She's more important at the moment." Godric pointing out, his ears being haunted by her cries and he squeezed his eyes shut. "We have to help her."

"How?" Sookie asked plaintively, sighing so heavily that Bill stepped to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "How do we help her?"

"By doing the only thing that makes logical sense...I need to summon Eric."

* * *

><p><em><span>15 Minutes later<span>_

"Where is she? What happened?" Eric demanded as he arrived in a fluster on Bill's lawn and rushed towards the house where his maker was standing with Sookie and Bill on the front porch waiting his arrival. He had gotten Godric's summon nearly 20 minutes ago while he had been at Fangtasia and knew as soon as he felt it that something was wrong. Not just because Godric only summoned him when there was a serious need, but also because this summon was different. It felt more urgent and desperate then it ever had in the past. Not to mention it had come right before he felt a spasm of pain erupt through his bond to Allison and he had taken off from Shreveport with lightening speed. But no matter how fast he flew, it didn't seem to get him here fast enough and now that he was here, he needed answers. "Godric, what happened?"

"The witches struck again." His maker began speaking, a guarded look on his face as he spoke. "They sent a doppelganger vampire here under a spell to appear to Allison as if it were you. And then they had it staked right in front of her. She...she thinks you're dead."

"What?" Eric growled, immediately seeing red as this explanation set in and he wanted nothing more to rush off and seek out the coven responsible for this turmoil. "I'll kill them!"

"And I will join you." Bill agreed, looking up with a deadly dark expression in his eyes. "I want to go now and slaughter them all."

"Now's not the time William, we will get our revenge but first we must deal with this." Godric ordered to Bill before turning to look at him and grabbed his arm. "Eric you must go to her. Only you can convince her that you're not really dead. She won't believe any of us."

"Where is..." Eric didn't even have to finish this sentence as he finally noticed the smell of blood hanging in the air and his head shot towards the front yard where to his horror, he saw a pool of blood and guts and in the midst of it, a huddled shaking figure who was quietly sobbing. A figure that he should have gone to upon his arrival.

He shot off the porch and flew across the yard, coming to a stop behind Allison's tiny form but she didn't appear to even have noticed any sound around her as she did not look up. She just stayed there on her knees, covered from head to toe in this other vampire's blood with her arms wrapped around herself as she continued to cry over what she was thinking was his remains. He felt a strange numbness shoot through him at this sight and it made him feel so much more human then he ever thought possible. He quickly got to his knees next to her, his hands going out to take her face to turn it towards him. But when he managed to look into her eyes, he was stunned to see that they were nearly empty. They looked like the life had been wiped clear out of them, like there was no soul left in her body and she was simply existing in this body. She wasn't really looking at him, her eyes were hazy as she appeared to be locked away in her head. This was worse then he thought.

"Allison...Allison I'm right here. I haven't left you." He told her, touching her face with his fingers, trying to break through the cloud that seemed to be surrounding her. "I'm not dead, I'm very much alive. Just come back to me."

"They...killed him. Eric's dead." Her voice was so soft and weak it was like she was whispering out of a dream. He felt the warmth of her tears as they slid over his fingers. Her face was blank and lifeless, she wasn't even there. She was alone in her head, scared about facing the world without him. "I can't do this without him. Eric was my other half and now he's gone."

"I'm not gone. I'm still here, baby. I'm still here." He gripped her face tightly between his hands, making sure not to hurt her. But seeing her not able to comprehend that he was in front of her scared him. "Allison, snap out of it."

"He didn't do anything to them, he just wanted to protect me. And they killed him." Her tears ran faster down her face, her head turning in his hands to look down at the blood surrounding them and she reached out a hand to touch a nearby black boot before whispering. "I'm sorry Eric. I'm so sorry."

"Stop it already." Eric hissed, feeling her anguish rip through him so sharply that he almost couldn't take it. He couldn't bear this, he couldn't take feeling or seeing her in this much pain. It was torture not being able to get through to her. "Just come back, please I'm begging you."

"I don't feel anything. My heart died with him." She was talking to the ground, no longer looking at him as he felt her body getting limp as if this was slowly stealing the strength out of her. "I don't want to live without him."

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that." Eric snapped furiously, a new devastating pain filling him up that he identified as his own. He never thought of what it would feel like to hear her say that she didn't want to go on living if he wasn't by her side. He never understood just how intertwined their lives were with the other and to her, if she thought he died, then it was like she was dying too. And that crushed him. "Allison, come on. Don't do this to me."

"This is my fault. He's dead because they wanted me. And I'll never forgive myself for this." Allison's lip quivered as she spoke, her entire body shaking violently as she struggled to breathe. "I just want to see him again. I want to tell him I love him and I'm sorry for..."

"Jesus Christ, snap the fuck out of it." Eric lost his cool at that moment and he suddenly lashed out, his hands gripping her arms and against his better judgment he shook her hard as if he thought physical force would make her respond. He didn't know what else to do, she wasn't letting him in and he had to do something drastic. "God damn it Allison, look at me! I'm alive."

He knew he shouldn't have done that, he shouldn't have reacted so violently towards her. It wouldn't be the right thing to get her to respond to him. And it shouldn't have worked. But suddenly it did. It was like that shake was the jolt she need to push out the cloud that had filled her body and realization was dawning on her face. He could see the life coming back into her eyes, her focus returning to her green orbs and then without warning,it was like she fully understood was going on and she let out a gasp of shock. He was about to say something but she immediately shot her hands up to his body, her fingers caressing his face as if to make sure it was really him. Her hands running down his chest as if she thought there was a wound to be found there and then her fingers encircled his arms, gripping him more tighter then he thought she was capable of. And when her face lifted up towards his again and their eyes met, she was overcome by tears only this time they were tears of relief, not sadness. She immediately threw herself at him, her tiny arms wrapping around his waist pulling herself up against his chest as she started crying again.

"Oh Eric, you're alive. Damn it, you're alive." She sobbed, her body shaking despite his attempts to comfort her as she refused to let him go. Eric looked over his shoulder and over to Sookie, Bill and Godric who all wore expressions of the deepest relief, but that didn't compare to the relief he was feeling flood his body as he held this crying girl "Don't you ever leave me."

"I won't...I won't ever leave you."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"I'm going to kill them. Every single one of them." Eric growled as he and Godric paced the length of the room back in the Shreveport house in front of me while I sat on the couch and just watched them go back and forth just as they had been doing ever since we had gotten back.

After it had finally dawned on me that Eric was alive and the vampire that had been staked was just a decoy, I fell apart all over again. I threw myself into his arms, just needing to further assure myself that he was real and I refused to let him go. Even when he finally took the initiative to move us away from the pile of blood and guts, I couldn't unlock my arms around him. It felt like I would lose him if I let go, so I didn't. Sookie had tried to convince to come with her so she could help me clean up but I just grabbed onto Eric even tighter and shook my head. I didn't want to be at that house anymore, I just couldn't. And both Godric and Eric knew that, so they insisted on taking me back to Eric's where it would be safer for me and so I could finally bring myself to calm down. And when we finally got home, Eric immediately put the two of us into the shower, wanting to clean off the blood and vampire remains right away. It took a while, being as I was coated with more of it then I realized and also because I still had refused to let go of Eric at that point. But eventually he had cleaned the both of us up and managed to re-dress me again as well as himself before we went downstairs to talk to Godric who had remained there while Eric and I were upstairs. Godric, upon seeing me quickly stole me away from Eric and brought me into his arms, whispering how sorry he was that I had to witness that and all I could do was weakly hug him back. The night's events had drained me of almost all the energy in my body and I could barely stand for more then 3 minutes without starting to shake. So he had set me down on the couch in front of the fire while he and Eric verbalized their frustrations to each other. Occasionally I would say something but most of the time I was too numb to do more then just nod and respond quickly whenever they addressed me. Most of the time I just sat there and listened to them.

"I know you're frustrated my child, but acting prematurely is not the way to solve anything." Godric was telling him, ever the voice of reason in this equation which I could appreciate because if he didn't reign Eric in then Eric would run out and do something incredibly stupid that would result in his real death. And after already thinking he was dead not that long ago, I didn't want to ever face that possibility again.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing, Godric. I have to strike back before they do something else. Something she won't be able to come back from." Eric said, pointing at me furiously and giving a look that was reminiscent of how he had looked at me last year when he was saving me from the Fellowship. The look that said he was willing to do anything possible in order to protect me from any kind of pain, even if that meant putting his own life on the line.

"As long as you don't die, I don't care what you do." I couldn't stop the heavy heavyhearted words that came out of my mouth through my choked up tears. I looked at him with tired eyes and shook my head. "But if fighting back without a definite plan means it leads to your death no matter how confident you are, then I don't want you to do this."

"I'm not going to die. They are going to be the ones dying." Eric said with certainly, suddenly appearing at my side with his hand on mine. "I won't let them get away with doing anything else like this."

"I can't let you do that." I replied, grabbing his arm as tightly as I could manage with my lack of strength. "I don't care what they do to me. But if you get hurt...if you die..."

"Stop saying that." Eric order, grabbing my wrists in both his hands, his eyes turning dark. "None of us are going to die. Not you, not Godric, not me. No one."

"She's just worried Eric. We all are." Godric piped up, coming to my defense quickly and appeared on the edge of the table in front of us. "It's been a trying night and perhaps right now is not the best time to talk about a plan of attack."

"We can't let our emotions keep us from formulating." Eric snapped, loosening his grip and pulling me into the curve of his arm where I settled my head on his chest and closed my eyes. "We have to keep going forward."

"And we will, once we have let cooler heads prevail." Godric said intently, using his commanding tone that told Eric not to back talk anymore. "We will discuss this another night. But right now I would suggest you take her upstairs and put her to bed. This has been tough for everyone but it's taken the most out of her."

"Fine." Eric replied, letting it go for now but obviously not sounding happy about it. He stood up suddenly, slipping his arm under my legs and lifting me up in the air against his chest. I opened my eyes to see him looking down at me before he looked at Godric. "I will do as you say."

"Thank you." Godric nodded with a smile and then looked at me, his hands stretching out to touch my cheek. "Good night little Fae."

"Good night Godric." I said softly, squeezing his hands briefly before I watched him disappear in a flash, the sound of the front door opening and closing filling the house before it went silent again and it was finally just Eric with me. I sighed in content, tucking my head down against him. "Can you take me to bed now? I don't think I can stay awake any longer."

"Of course." He agreed, holding me tightly as he rushed out of the room with his super speed and raced up the long staircase to the second floor. His feet made almost no noise on the tiled floor of the hallway as he walked me towards the bedroom and entered it without bothering to turn on the lights. He threw back the covers and set me down in the middle of the bed, laying me down softly and I relished the feel of how comfortable it was. And now that I was back in the house and in bed, I could finally begin to relax and let sleep take me over. I needed to rest more then anything at this point. It was the only thing that would restore my emotional sanity and I needed that to happen. Almost thinking I had lost Eric was too much for me to take after everything that has happened so far. Eric's hand brushed over my hand as he prepared to leave. "Goodnight Allison."

"Don't go..." I shot my hand out to grab a hold of his long fingers before they left the surface of my skin and held on tightly. I couldn't let him leave me sight, not so soon after seeing the image of him dying before my eyes. I needed him to stay with me at least until I could convince myself that it was going to be ok. "Please stay with me. I don't want to be alone right now."

"Ok." Was all he said before his hand left mine and he was sliding down on the bed next to me, pulling me back into the curve of his arm so I was settled tightly against his chest. This was how I was able to relax completely, falling limply into his embrace and closing my eyes just as I heard him speak one more time. "I'll stay here with you, I promise."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

Eric wasn't there when I opened my eyes.

It was still night, only 2:35 in the morning, so the sky was still dark, which meant he was still awake. So why wasn't he here? He had promised he would stay with me and now, I wake up and there was no sign of him.

Maybe it had all been a dream, a dream that now was starting to make sense and it drew me up out of bed to find my way to the lamp to bath the room in an orange glow. I looked into every corner and against any wall to see if there was any hint of him. He wasn't there at all and it made me wonder if I had somehow imagined that he hadn't really died. Perhaps Godric had taken me back to the house and put me to bed. Maybe I really had seen Eric die in front of me and I was just do distraught that I hallucinated that he had come back. He really was dead. If he were alive then he would have been here with me and he wasn't. I was alone in this room and probably in the whole house with only the realization that Eric was gone and I now had no one.

"Eric!" I cried out, knowing he wasn't there to hear me but I did it anyway, feeling the pain creeping back over me as I leaned over to grip the edges of the bed as I fought back energy stealing tears. I was just about to let the numbness take over me again when I heard the door to the room open suddenly and in walked Eric, looking panicked and worried, a look that did not seem natural on his face.

"Are you ok?" He demanded, his hand leaving the door knob quickly as he entered the room with wide eyes. " I heard you call out my name..."

"You stupid idiot!" I exclaimed, my body filling up with an anger that I never even knew I possessed until now as I went from feeling scared to feeling pissed off. "How could you do that? How could you not be here?"

"I needed to speak with Godric, I was only gone for a few minutes. And you were still asleep. I thought I could get back up here before you woke up." He said with a frown, taking a hesitant step towards me. "What is the big deal?"

"The big deal? The big deal is that you promised to stay here with me and then I wake up and you're not there and I thought it was all a dream. That's why it is a fucking big deal." I snapped, grabbing a nearby book and chucked it at his head even though he was able to dodge it easily. But I didn't care, I was driven by fury that I had to get out in some way. "Damn you, I hate you Eric Northman. I hate you so much."

"No you don't." He shook his head almost out of amusement, crossing his arms. "You're just upset."

"No, I'm pretty sure I hate you." I frowned, grabbing hold of a spare lamp and threw that at him too, but he grabbed it in his hand before it could shatter against the wall and that just infuriated me. I wasn't mad at him but I didn't know who else to take this fear and anger out on. "You can't...you can't.."

"I can't what.." He asked, setting the lamp down and flashing forward to grab my hands before I could throw anything else at him. "Talk to me. Tell me what I can't do."

"You can't promise to be here when I fall asleep and not still be there when I wake up." I shouted up in his face, my vision wavering before my eyes were filling up with the tears I wanted to avoid. "You can't do that to me Eric, you can't."

"Just wait a..."

"I thought I had dreamt you coming back to me. I thought it was a hallucination and that you were still gone." I screamed, wanting to smack him across the face so I would at least have something to do as my tears made their way down my face. But his grip was just too strong as he gained control and pushed me against the wall and it still didn't stop me from yelling at him. "I thought you were dead. I thought I had still lost you. That I was going to be alone forever because you weren't fucking there when I woke up!"

"Will you just..."

"You can't do this to me. You can't leave me alone like that and have me wake up and not think the worst. You just can't do that to me." I snapped, hanging my head low as my breathing got heavy for a moment while my anger left my body and I was only filled with the same old fear I felt just a few hours ago when I truly thought I had lost the love of my life. It was leaving me weak again and I was glad he had pushed me against the wall, because his body was the only thing holding me up right now. I wiped my tears away with my fingers and sniffed. "Don't do this...don't make me think you had left. I can't bear that pain. It's too much."

"I promise. I won't leave your side until you order me away." He told me softly, his hands coming up to cup my face as he pressed his lips against my forehead. "It's going to be ok Allison. I know it is."

"I just...I don't think I have it in me to keep going." I admitted, bowing my head against his chest and closing my eyes, my arms going around his waist. "I can't do this...I can't keep living like this."

"Yes you can...You have to." Eric sighed, his chin settling on top of my head as he pulled me tightly against him. "You have to live for me. Promise?"

"I will try my hardest."


	40. Tell me lies

**Chapter 40 Tell me lies**

"No."

"Come on."

"I said no, Eric. I don't want to go."

"But we've been summoned."

"No you have been summoned." I reminded him as I sat up in bed and tucked the sheets firmly around my naked body and looked down at his nude form sprawled out on the bed next to me and sighed. "Godric's your maker, so he wants to talk to you, not us as a whole."

"Uh actually he does want to talk to us as a whole." Eric countered, sending a smirk up at me as he ran his hand up my thigh. "He wants to have a meeting, not just with us but with everyone."

"Whose included in this everyone? And why do we have to go again?" I asked, hoping that if I sent him a good enough look then he would decline Godric's order to meet at Fangtasia and just allow us to stay here. "Can't we just stay here and have our own little night in?"

"As much as I would love to agree to that..." He began smirking even more when I allowed his hand to slip under the sheets. "I can't let myself be seduced by you, no matter how tempting it is."

"So you are going to be a good little boy and do what your maker tells you to do. How adorable." I said sarcastically, pushing his hands away and throwing myself back down on the bed and covered my eyes with a groan. "This is one of those rare times when I think I may actually hate Godric."

"I'll tell him you said that." Eric snickered, moving up alongside me and tug my hands down from my face so he could look at me. "He just wants to talk about what we're going to do about the..."

"Don't say it, do not say that word no matter what." I protested, instantly clapping my hands over his mouth because I did not want to hear that word so soon after what they had done. "I mean it Eric..."

"Witches." He completely disregarded my warning and said it anyway. "We have to talk about what we're going to do."

"I don't really want to." I grumbled, turning on my side with my chin propped up in my hand and pressed my lips together tightly. "I mean, the other night was horrible and I can barely bring myself to be away from you for more then 30 minutes at best and that's just when we are here at the house. I don't want to journey out to Fangtasia where god only knows what is waiting for us out in the world."

"You are paranoid." He chuckled, tucking my hair behind me.

"Can you blame me for that?" I asked, rolling over on my stomach and pulled a pillow down under me. "Everyone around me has been attacked in some form or another. No more then a few days go by before something else happens. And I know it's coming even if I can't have a vision of it. So yea, I am paranoid and I have every right to be."

"But the last time was an illusion, no one got hurt except for you." He reminded me, chilling me to the bone with the remembrance of that night. The fear and pain still hadn't fully left me. "It was horrible for you, I get that. But no physical harm came to either you or me."

"Sometimes emotional harm is worse then the physical. Injuries and wounds can heal over time, but emotional scars run deep and can sometimes never heal." I sighed, not just referring to the problems with the witches, but also to any other time I had been caught off guard emotionally had been hurt by it. So it was understandable why I would be apprehensive about going out and risk something happening that could result in Eric's real death. But I also knew that going to this meeting with Godric and the other was important and if Godric was asking us to come then I should just grit my teeth and do it. I couldn't hide in the house forever. If it were that easy and I thought it could work then I would. I turned to look at Eric and shrugged. "Alright, we'll go to this meeting. But you won't do anything stupid will you?"

"I won't if you won't."

* * *

><p><em><span>40 minutes later<span>_

"Well it's about time you two got here." Sookie called out as soon as he and Allison walked through the door of the empty bar and took in the sight of the people sitting at the tables in front of them. Sookie was the first to make a move and jumped up from her spot near Bill to come over and grab Allison up in a tight hug. "We were getting worried about you."

"I didn't really want to come but I knew we had to." Allison replied, looking at him sheepishly as she hugged her cousin back before the two separated. "And before you ask, I am fine. Just thought I should make that known to everyone."

"Ok, then." Sookie quickly nodded, showing that had been indeed what she had been about to ask and started tugging Allison towards the cluster of tables.

"What's Holly doing here?" She asked quietly to Sookie, and that made Eric's eyes shoot up to find the witch sitting to Godric's left side waiting for the rest of them to rejoin the discussion. He saw Pam and Bill also sitting there, at separate tables looking like they wanted to fight each other.

"We're discussing the witch situation and Godric thought it would be good to have a witch from our side here for perspective." Sookie explained as Allison looked over her shoulder and sent him a doubtful look just as she came to a stop by a chair and sat down quickly. Eric nodded at hims maker out of respect and then took a seat nearby Allison as she didn't seem quite ready to be too far away from him. Sookie went back over to Bill and once they were all sitting, she turned to Godric and said. "Ok...go."

"What exactly are we going to be talking about right now?" Eric cut in before Godric even began to open his mouth and even he knew that wasn't exactly appropriate. But he knew how much Allison did not want to be here and he didn't want to prolong this by dancing around the subject.

"Holly? You want to explain this one?" Godric turned to the older blond sitting at his side and she smiled at him and turned to face the rest of the group and mostly Allison as she began to speak.

"As you all know, these attacks from the Dallas coven are getting more and more desperate and we are at the point where we have nothing left to do except go to war with them. And that's the reason we have gathered here today, to figure out exactly how we are going to make that happen." Holly announced to the rest of the group, looking around at each and everyone of them, her eyes remaining on Allison just a tad longer then the others. "We need to draw the witches here to us so we can destroy them. Simple as that."

"And why aren't we fighting in Dallas? Why are we trying to bring them here to our areas?" Pam demanded, looking doubtful of this whole thing. "What is the point of having them come to us?"

"Because we would be fighting on our own turf and we can make a better stand here then in a state that that have claim in." Godric cut in, standing up to address them. "We need a plan to get them here and then, we slaughter them."

"Godric, that's so violent of you to say it like that." Allison exclaimed, her mouth falling open in surprise and Eric almost found himself laughing at the way she was looking at his maker. "It's so harsh."

"It's the only way to sound when we are dealing with a coven like them." His maker made a point of saying with a very human shrug of his shoulders. "We are going to war and they are going to be destroyed."

"Do we even have the power to do that though?" Bill asked, piping up from the farthest table away, taking hold of the conversation. "I mean, it's one thing to say that we know what to do but to actually do it and have the power to do it is different. After all, we can only gather so many willing vampires..."

"If we need more vampires to fight, then I will order all of the ones in my area to join us." Eric found himself stating this fact with enough gusto that Godric and Pam both raised their eyebrows at him. "What?"

"It shouldn't be like that Eric. They should fight willingly, not because it is forced upon them by their sheriff." Allison pointed out from across the table, looking like she was feeling guilty about this. "No one should be forced to fight if they don't want to. And especially not for someone they don't even know."

"I agree. And that's why I went away on business a few days ago, to find willing vampires and believe it or not, I was successful." Godric grinned, clasping his hands together, obviously happy about this. "And I brought them back with me."

"You did what?" Eric barely had a chance to frown before the sound of the door opening at the front of the bar filled their ears and every single head shot towards the direction of the noise just as a young looking vampire walked in and stopped short upon seeing all those faces watching him. Eric frowned, not knowing who this vampire was that Godric had brought home with him but Allison clearly did because she sat up with a brightening smile that had not been present since before the last witch attack. He watched in shock as she scrambled out of her seat and launched herself towards the new vampire like she was greeting an old friend.

"Stefan!"

* * *

><p>"Well look who it is, the girl who never calls to check up on her friends." Stefan called out with a goodhearted grin as I moved through the tables towards him and despite the growl of jealousy I heard coming from behind me that I knew belonged to Eric, as soon as I was close enough, I ran myself into the younger Salvatore brother's arms and squeezed him as tightly as you could hug a vampire and he seemed overly amused by my reaction. "Now this is the greeting I was hoping to get."<p>

"Holy shit, I cannot believe you are here." I squealed, more energized then I had been in days just at the sight of seeing him again for the first time in months. I had meant to stay in touch with them all, but as soon as I had returned home, so much had happened and I just never had the time to do it. And that wasn't fair since they had been my close friends for a while and I pretty much had been cut off from them. But now Stefan was here, bringing a part of Mystic Falls to Shreveport and I had to say it made me happier then I thought I could possible be. I pulled back from him, gripping his arms tightly in excitement. "I'm like completely shocked beyond belief."

"You look it." Stefan pointed out with a smile, holding me back from him to look over me and he frowned. "Don't take this personally, but you don't look so good."

"I can only imagine what the reason for that would be." I rolled my eyes but still unable to get the grin off my face, but that was ok because I hadn't smiled like this in a while. I was too excited to see my friend to even try and wipe that smile away. "How is everything in Mystic Falls? How's Elena?"

"She's good, she misses you and told me that when I came here that I was to yell at you for not staying in touch." Stefan laughed, his face still lighting up when he talked about his love and it made me happy to see that he was still very much in love with her as he had been when I was there to witness it. "She wanted me to also try and kidnap you to bring you back with me for a visit."

"That is so something Elena would say." I clicked my tongue between my teeth as I thought about her. I wished I would have a chance to see her one more time before everything was decided, but that wasn't likely so there was no use dwelling on it. "So Stefan, I still find it hard to believe that Godric went to Mystic Falls and recruited you and failed to mention it to me."

"I wasn't sure if it would work out and I didn't want to disappoint you if there wasn't a reason to. So I stayed quiet until I knew for sure I was able to back up my word." Godric piped up, reminding me that there was still a whole bunch of other people in the room watching us. "But I did say I was successful."

"I guess you were." I nodded at him before turning back to Stefan. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. It's been boring without you around." He said back, smiling at me in that gentle way of his that reminded me so much of Godric. He tucked his hands under his arms and asked. "Why didn't you tell us you were in trouble? We would have come sooner if we had known it was this bad."

"We?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him and seeing his eyes flash with something akin to excitement. "You're not telling me something are you?"

"Think about it." Stefan said, tapping his temple with a pale finger. "You didn't really think I was the only vampire from Mystic Falls that Godric brought back, did you?"

"What exactly do you mean …..." I started to ask but I was cut off by the door of the bar opening yet again and this time a vampire dressed in all black walked in, taking me even more by surprise then Stefan's appearance did. And if I thought Eric sound jealous before, it was nothing compared to the sound coming out of his mouth now that the older Salvatore brother was walking in through the doorway with his trademark smirk and leather jacket. This...was going to be trouble. "Oh dear sweet Jesus."

"Well, this place is...not so classy." Damon waved his hands around at the decor, a smirk already growing bigger as he turned and his eyes fell on me with interest. "Now...there is the definition of pure elegance and hotness."

"You have not changed in the slightest." I shook my head, trying to quickly close my hanging jaw so I didn't look like an idiot and as shock as I was to suddenly see Damon Salvatore in front of me, it wasn't enough to keep me from moving forward and embracing him the same way I did with Stefan. It felt weird to hug him, not just because of the passage of time, but also because of our history together not that long ago. But still, I was glad to see him because even if things had been awkward the last time we were in each others presence. Because I knew that despite all that, Damon and I would be friends for life no matter what happened. I pulled back from him with a smile. "Wow, two surprises in a row. That's nuts."

"Not as nuts as it is going to get. But its always good to have some action in your life and I'm always ready for some," He replied, his expression not at all changing while his blue eyes washed over me and he nodded, clearly pleased. "Well...this makes everything worth it."

"Still completely charming as always." I laughed, going to hug him again, but before I could even raise my arms, Eric was suddenly at my side and pushing me away before I could touch Damon. I heard commotion going on in the background as I stumbled backwards but Stefan caught me before I fell to the floor and we both watched in horror as Eric grabbed Damon by the collar and shoved him into a nearby wall, rattling the shelves. "Not this shit again."

"Eric, release him right now." Godric was the next to appear, going to Eric's side and easily lifting Eric's hand off of Damon's shoulder since it didn't seem like Eric was willing to do it. And if left up to his own devices, then Eric would surely start a fight wit Damon right here in the bar and Godric was doing his best to intervene. He pried Eric off of Damon and sent him backwards so there was space between them. "Stand down or else I will command you to leave."

"Yea, Eric listen to your maker.." Damon shot back, adjusting his leather jacket and rolling his shoulders. "And stop having such a hissy fit, you can be such a pussy."

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Eric growled, rushing forward to grab him again but Godric intercepted him and threw him back as easily as if he had thrown me, That was the kind of power a maker had over his child and Godric was exerting it because Eric was fighting like a crazy animal to get at Damon who was just standing there with his smirk as if he were trying to egg Eric on. And Eric was totally playing into it.

"Eric, Eric that is enough." Godric ordered, throwing Eric back one more time before standing his path and held out his hands. "This is childish and I won't stand for it. As your maker, I command you to return to the house alone. I will accompany Allison there myself, but you will not remain here any longer, now go."

"I'm totally going to murder your ass when I get a chance." Eric hissed at Damon before he turned and did what Godric told him to do and left without saying a words to any of us. The door had barely slammed shut behind Eric before Damon decided to speak again.

"He seems like he finally has his anger under control."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Seriously Damon, was it absolutely necessary for you to piss off Eric like that?" I asked as I sat down in a chair in what use to be my old office and watched as both Damon and Stefan filed into the room after me and shut the door. The others were still out in the main part of the bar talking about the witch situation and I had managed to convince them to let me drag these two away so we could catch up. But of course the first thing I had to do was bring up his encounter with Eric and give him hell for it. "The first time we see each other in this long and you have to go after the man I love and piss him off?"

"He has a short fuse!" Damon exclaimed, hopping on top of the desk and leaning back with his hands grasping the edges. "I couldn't help myself. It was funny. And fun as well."

"It always is for you." Stefan shook his head, basically sending me an apologetic look on behalf of his brother. "He still hasn't lost his zest for creating trouble."

"I've noticed." I nodded in agreement, turning my head to see the ever smiling Damon looking at me like he always had, like nothing had changed and nothing was about to change. It was almost nice in a way. "Despite that, I'm really glad you both are here."

"You never did answer my question from earlier." Stefan pointed out to me, standing against the wall by the desk with his arms crossed and his dark brows furrowed. "Why didn't you call us for help at the first sign of trouble?"

"Yea, I've been wondering that myself ever since Godric showed up in Mystic Falls with no warning and starting sprouting off all this crap about you being targeted by a coven." Damon became serious for a second, and he actually leaned forward towards me with his arms on his knees. "Do you remember what I told you when we said goodbye? That if you were ever in trouble, all you had to do was call and I would come running. And here you are, in trouble for almost two months and you never picked up a phone to call us. Why not?"

"I didn't call you guys because I didn't want anyone else to possibly die for me." I told them with a sigh, never wanting to have this conversation. I had been having this thought on and off ever since Godric said a war was needed and I knew that if we ever needed more vampires to fight then Stefan and Damon would come willingly and I didn't want that. They both meant a lot to me and I didn't want to lose either of them in a war that did not concern them. "This is a war, not some stupid skirmish between witches and vampires. It's an actual war where people are going to die. And unless you have a good reason for why you should be fighting then you should go home."

"I can come up with three good reasons right now." Damon said in a hurry, a devious smile on his face as he looked at me. "And man are they awesome."

"And here we go." Stefan threw his hands up in the air and turned his face away as his brother began explaining.

"First reason...I love getting into a good battle. It's fun for me, it keeps things exciting. And the second reason... I now get to hang out with hot little Faeries like you. And who doesn't love that?" He raised his eyebrows at me in the same old cocky way that he was famous for. "You want to know the third reason? It's really good."

"I'm almost too scared to even ask." I cringed, knowing it couldn't possibly be a serious response. But when Damon opened his mouth to speak again, it was actually the most genuine thing I had ever heard him say to me.

"The real reason I'm here, why we both are here, is mostly because of you." Damon's voice was actually soft and not filled with any sign or hint of his usual sarcasm and it made me sit up and listen as he looked down at me. "This is something we had to do. Because when a loved one is in trouble you're suppose to fight for them, even with the threat of death looming over you. That's just how it is."

"Wow...that was actually a really good one." I grinned, touched by his words and I got out of my chair and went over to hug him again, feeling like even though things weren't going to be as perfect as they all thought it was going to be, at least I knew I had people in my life like Damon and Stefan who would leave their lives behind to come help me. That meant something. I pulled away from Damon and beckoned Stefan to come join us. "I want you guys to know I appreciate this and I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't want to fight."

"Are you kidding? Nothing could keep me away now." Damon cheered wildly, looking not at all concerned about this war and in a way that eased my own tension about the future. I turned to look at Stefan, who simply shrugged and laughed.

"This is about all of us now...we're not looking back."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"Where have you been?" Was the first thing Eric said to me, or more like demanded of me, the moment I walked in the front door and found him leaning against the doorway of the library with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Oh he was still not in a good mood now even after the passage of a few hours since Godric sent him back here. I tossed my keys on the table and shrugged my arms out of my black jacket and hung it up on the hook by the door while Eric watched me intently and it was only when I was walking towards him, did he speak again. "Were you still at Fangtasia?"

"Well yea, I couldn't exactly go anywhere else since I'm under such strict protection." I answered back, knowing he was going to bring up what had happened before he got sent out of the bar and I wanted to keep things as civil as they could be. "I stayed there with everyone until Godric brought me home just now."

"Did you talk more with Damon?" He frowned even harder as the name passed his lips and he stayed frozen to that doorway while I leaned against the other side of it and looked at him.

"Yes, I did talk with him, we had some catching up to do." I didn't see any reason to lie since I hadn't done anything to be ashamed of. I knew that if Damon were to ever show up in our lives again that Eric would be dealing with some pretty heavy jealousy issues and that time had come. But there was no reason for him to feel jealous because there was nothing going on with Damon and I, we had parted as friends and we were reunited as friends. "But nothing happened if that's what you were insinuating at."

"I don't like him being here. Godric never should have brought him back." Eric hissed, his face clouding over again like it had when Damon first walked into the bar. "I don't want to see that smirking, asshole grin of his all the time."

"You are so hot when you're jealous." I pointed out, hoping the lightness of my comment would take that look off his face. "But you don't have to be. Damon and I are just friends. And he's just here to help us."

"I'm not jealous." Eric protest, rolling his eyes as he tried to play off the situation like he didn't care but I knew he did and that just him all the more appealing to me.

"You trust me right?" I questioned, walking up to him and placing my hands on his waist and sliding my arms around his midsection so my fingers locked behind his back. "You know I wouldn't be with Damon, don't you?"

"It's not you I'm worried about, it's him. He managed to sweet talk you for a long time and you were so close to choosing him. And I don't want to stand by and watch that happen right in front of me." He said, his hands finding their way to my back and his fingers pushed on my spine to move me closer to him. "I don't want to lose you."

"Eric...you're not going to lose me." I felt horrible suddenly as I said that to him because I knew even though I wasn't directly referring to it, I was lying when I said that he wouldn't lose me. He was going to lose me, but not in the way that he thought he was. And if he got this paranoid about Damon now being around, it might be time to consider telling him the truth. "Eric, listen to me. Damon was part of my past and he and I were never intimate in the way you and I are. I never slept with him and I never will. You were my first and you will be my last. I can say that with complete and utter certainty."

"He drives me insane. He is so smug and arrogant..."

"And you don't think you come across the same way?" I asked with a smirk as he shot his face towards me with a glare. "Because I have to tell you, you and Damon are exactly alike and you can't even see it."

"I'm a way better vampire then Damon Salvatore." He replied smugly, lifting his nose in the air. "You know that right?"

"Oh yea that goes without saying." I laughed, shaking my head before moving forward into his embrace and laid my cheek on his chest with a sigh. "Don't worry Eric, Damon will never take me away from you. Nothing will."

But once again, that lie popped on up and I almost shuddered out of guilt. It haunted me to think of all the time that I had allowed to pass since knowing the truth and how I had kept it from becoming knowledge in our circle. Even though at the time I thought it was for the best, with everything happening it seemed like my good intentions were becoming less and less good and the longer I kept the truth to myself, the more cruel I was becoming. There wasn't going to be all that much time left before we went to war. As soon as we figured out how to draw the witches here and actually have them follow through, then it was only a matter of a few weeks before our fate was decided. But then again, I already knew my fate and I was keeping it under wraps. And with this battle not too far off, I needed to prepare the others for what was going to happen, especially Eric. I knew how badly it felt when I thought he had died, and I did not want my death to creep up on him. That would just be horrible, too horrible for my soul to deal with when I passed on and had to look at how my actions would impact Eric's life. It wasn't fair to keep him in the dark the way I had been doing. And I knew I was also putting it off because I knew how hard of a conversation it was going to be and I just wanted to avoid it. But it wasn't just how difficult it would be, it was how Eric would react to it that made me nervous. Eric didn't do well with not being in control of something, and this he had no control at all. And to have to tell him there was nothing he could do to save me was going to be terrible and I wished I would never have to have this conversation, but I knew the time had come to speak up. I couldn't hide from this any longer.

"Eric?" I asked, lifting my head off his chest and removing my arms from around his waist, trying to step back but his arms remained locked around me as I looked up into his questioning blue eyes. "We need to talk."

"Oh no. This is so not good. Whenever you say we need to talk that always means something bad is about to come out of your mouth." He dropped his arms, giving me a chance to step back and put some distance between us. He watched me with a frown, his arms crossing again over his chest before he was asking. "You're not going to take back what you just said are you? You're not going to try and leave me for Damon are you?"

"Eric, of course not. That's not what this is about." I shook my head, fighting back the urge to cry because him thinking this was about something so trivial was so pathetically sad, but he had no idea what I had been keeping from him.

"It's not Godric is it?" He suddenly wanted to know, his face twisting quickly into a prepared rage. "I always knew there was something odd there."

"Oh my god, you are so paranoid about everyone." I wanted to get angry at him for thinking I could be with anyone other then him, including his maker. "Godric and I have no romantic feelings for each other and never will. And the sooner you accept that and move on then the better it is for you."

"If it's not about another vampire then why do you look so sad?" He asked, his arms unfolding and his hands reached out for me, but I took a step back which surprised him. But I couldn't have him touch me when I said this. It would just stop me and I had to get it out. He tried to touch me again and like before, I stepped away and it confused him. "What's going on?"

"I lied to you. Actually, it wasn't lying. I just didn't tell you the whole truth." I started speaking so fast that my words came out in a jumble. "Ok, that was a lie, it was really Godric and I that didn't tell you the truth. Now that was really a lie because I made him keep it between us."

"Uh, you are not making any sense." He stated, his eyes following me as I backed away even more. "And why do you keep moving away from me like that?"

"Because it's probably not the best idea to be close to you when I tell you this." I cringed, knowing the reaction was going to be bad and I was just preparing myself for it now. "Um, you see when I told you that you weren't going to lose me, that was kind of a bullshit lie. You are going to lose me, just not to another man. And you will probably lose me sooner then you think."

"Were you drinking or something when I was gone because this is not making a lick of sense." He was trying to follow along but it was obvious that he was struggling because even I knew my words weren't making sense. "Just spit it out already. What haven't you and Godric told me?"

"That night that he came back a few weeks ago, the night when he told us about what the witches were after...he told you only part of it. The rest he told me." I explained, looking down at my feet because if I was going to get out this next part then I could not be looking at him in any capacity or else I would never do it. "What he told us about the witches wanting my power was true, they want me to offer my abilities to them, but since I won't that is why they are attacking everyone around me as well as me. They want more power and they can get it through me. But the thing is that if they capture me, then they are going to torture me until I give up my soul. Because the soul is what my abilities are attached to and if they can take my soul out of my body then they will be unstoppable. And Godric told you that they only way for it to ever end was for us to go to war."

"I know all this and so far I have not heard anything new." Eric said with a frown. "What part of all this is a lie or the half truth?"

"The part about the way it will all end." I whispered, allowing my hair to fall in front of my face as I started to deliver what my fate would be to Eric. "The only way it will be over is if they have nothing to fight for, if the thing they desire is destroyed before they can attempt to extract it. Godric knew this was how it has to be and he wanted me to be the first to know since it was about me. And the truth is that, even with a war still going on, they will never truly stop until...until I die. I have to die in order for everyone else to be at peace."

In the time when I had begun to explain all this to him, I had backed away into the room and was now standing against the wall, still watching my feet as silence descended on us. Eric didn't speak or even make any noise after I stopped speaking and I didn't dare look up at him for fear I would see something I did not want to see. I knew he was probably standing there with a glare on his face and I would have pushed at our blood bond to get some kind of sense of what his reaction was going to be, but I could already feel that it had been closed off since I entered the house. So I had to just wait until he decided to speak or make a move. And I wasn't confident that either one of those would be a good one.

"You...you have to die?" He asked blankly, his voice causing me to look up and see that his face matched his tone. I quickly looked down again but not before the edge started to creep in around his voice. "You knew this, Godric knew this. And you didn't think for one second that I deserved to know this too?"

"I wanted to tell you, but I …." I wanted to explain myself and why I had kept quiet for so long, but I wasn't able to as Eric finally went on the move and and flashed across the room and appeared right in front of me, taking me by surprise when he roughly grabbed my arms.

"Don't you dare feed me that shit about waiting for the right moment. Because the right moment was 5 weeks ago when you found out. The right moment should have been a second after he told you. That was the right fucking moment." He shouted practically in my face, his fingers digging into my arms to the point where I knew I would have bruises the next day. " You knew this whole time, through everything that happened. The attacks, the fire, the car accident, the training sessions. You knew that whole time and you never said anything."

"Because I knew you would treat me differently if I told you." I replied quietly, feeling my lower lip shake as I forced myself to remain calm. "I'm going to die soon, Eric. And I did not want my last moments with you to be filled with you looking at me like I was going to drop dead at any second..."

"Stop saying that!" He roared, one hand leaving my arms as he slammed his fist against the wall directly to the side of my head, shocking me so bad that I couldn't even flinch. "Stop saying that you're going to die. You're not going to die. I won't allow it."

"Eric, this isn't something you can control. This is something beyond you or me. This is what has to happen to me. There is nothing anyone can do about it, least of all you." I tried to reach up and touch his face, needing him to accept this as well as he knew how. "Please don't hate me. I was only doing it to protect you."

"Protect me?" He screamed and then before I could even begin to prepare myself, he drew back his arm and rammed it forward into the wall sending plaster and dust everywhere as I squeezed my eyes shut to avoid being blinded by the debris. He pulled his hand out and gripped my arm again, leaning in close so our faces were touching. "I'm a fucking vampire. I don't need you to protect me."

"Eric, I'm so sorry." I wanted to touch him so bad, but they way he was holding me to the wall made it impossible. "I didn't want you to have to hear it like this. But I didn't want my death to creep up on you. I wanted you to have time to prepare yourself for it, to process what was going to happen..."

"So I could what? Deal with it better?" He hissed, his fangs protruding slightly in front of my eyes. "You think telling me you're going to die is going to make it any easier? That it won't hurt as much? That I will just get over it? Did you really expect that to happen?"

"Eric, I just wanted you to finally know the truth. I couldn't hide it any more." I told him, feeling tears well up in my eyes as he finally let go of me and started backing away. "Don't do this, don't walk away from me. Not now."

"I need to or else I will do something I will regret." He stated, turning on his heels with out even giving me another look and then he shot towards the back of the house and I could hear the back door slam shut as he went out onto the porch. I didn't bother going after him, knowing he did indeed need this time alone. So I stood there with my arms crossed and listened to the loud thuds coming from outside, signifying that he was now proceeding to toss everything that wasn't nailed down across the yard. I sighed heavily, this conversation turning out worse then I ever could have imagined. I knew it would be hard, but not this hard. And who knew if we would have enough time to patch things up before time finally ran out on me. Judging by the way Eric was taking out his aggression on the furniture, I was pretty certain that things weren't ever going to be ok with him and I.

And that was a reality I was just going to have to face.

_30 minutes later_

It had been half an hour since Eric had gone outside and wrecked havoc on the yard and now it was silent.

I wasn't sure if he had taken off or not because I hadn't heard that gust of wind that preceded it, so I assumed he was still out there, most likely silently fuming in his own head. I had remained inside against the same wall until I felt it was safe enough to consider going out to the porch to talk to him again. I knew 30 minutes wasn't all that much time to calm down after hearing news like that, and it felt like even less time to a vampire. But I had to see him and at least try to talk to him. I would regret it if I didn't try.

I left my position by the wall and made my way through the house, passing by the door to the basement and walking through the kitchen to the back door that had splintered the wood when he had slammed it shut. I cautiously walked outside, taking in the sight of the now empty porch and the yard littered with broken pieces of furniture and cringed. His anger had been worse then I thought and it took awhile before I was able to spot him standing at the far edge of the property in the midst of his destruction just staring off into the distance without making any noise. He knew I was there because I saw his head turn just slightly when I came out but he didn't look at me yet and that was fine. He needed some time before we faced each other, so I just stood in the middle of the porch and waited for him to come to me. It took a while and for a few minutes I thought maybe I should give up and go back inside, but eventually he did start moving and began walking towards me with his hands in his pockets. When he walked up those steps, I was so sure he would just not even notice me and go into the house, but he got up onto the porch and stood there in front of me with a blank look on his face. And in order to break the awkward silence, I decided to say something stupid.

"So...you broke the furniture again. Did that make you feel better?" I cringed as soon as I said that because I knew it was so not the time to be making comments to that but I just couldn't help myself. When I didn't know what to say,. I say something completely inappropriate. I quickly tried to back track. "I'm ..I'm sorry. I so should not have..."

"How can you even think to make a joke like that?" He asked, surprising me by the fact that he was even talking to me at all. His eyes were filled with a cloud of something I couldn't identify and as usual, he had close off his bond to me. "After you tell me about your death, the first thing you say is..."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." I hurriedly said, reaching to tuck my hair behind my ears just so I would have something to do. "I didn't know what else to say and I just felt this need to fill this silence with something."

"If you're going to talk then help me figure out a way to fix this." He growled, his face showing the first signs of life as it filled with a determined expression as he removed his hands from his pockets. "There has to be a solution we just haven't seen. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, it just has to be a plan we can use."

"Eric, don't do this." I begged, already hating where this was going. I knew that once he had gone through his anger phase that he was most likely to move on to this desperate need to find a way around my fate and this was no way. "There is no plan..."

"Yes there is, there has to be." He ignored my movements and grabbed my face between his hands, again surprising me. "There has to be another way. There has to be, I can't accept it. I can't accept you having to die."

"You have to Eric." I said quietly, touching his hand and fighting off another round of tears. "This is how it is going to end and there's nothing we can do about it."

He didn't like that answer and that was evident by the way his hands dropped suddenly away from me and he stepped back. I didn't reach out for him and he didn't reach out for me. We just stood there staring at each other without saying anything. I knew he was having trouble with this, as he should be. I just sprung it on him that I was going to die soon and he was reacting as normally as he knew how. But then again, time was very limited with us and I needed him to soak this in so we could at least have some last good memories together. For his sake mostly because he was the one who would go on living after this. But he wasn't willing to accept that we would no longer be together. He was trying to figure out a way for this to end differently .and it hurt me to see him struggle so badly. He turned away from me and walked forward towards the railing but then stopped as if something had sprung up in his head and he looked over his shoulder with what was his darkest frown yet.

"You sound like you're giving up."

"I'm not giving up Eric. I'm just facing reality. There's no other way to end this." I told him, walking up to his still form and wrapping my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his back. "Those witches are not going to stop until they get what they want. They aren't going to stop attacking until they get my soul. And they will go through anyone to make that happen. It has to end this way. We have no other option."

"Give it more time. We'll figure something else out." Eric spun around suddenly, removing my arms from his body and holding me apart from him. "We'll find another way to defeat them. Just promise me you wont go and do something stupid."

"I can't promise you that because I know it would be an empty promise. Eric, there is nothing else we can do. This is how it has to be." I told him, seeing that my words pained him and he pushed me away, backing up towards the railing of the porch and gripped it tightly in his hands. I kept my distance as I spoke. "If there were any other way then I would be open to it but there isn't. I have to do this."

"No you don't." Eric said quietly, looking over his shoulder at me. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to sacrifice yourself. We can leave. We can leave right now and run. We'll go into hiding and keep running so they can never find us."

"We can't run for the rest of our lives. You're a vampire and I'm a faerie, that's a very long time to be running from something. Its no way to live." I told him, crossing my arms over myself as we stood there in silence for a minute. "Eric, please. I know this hurts you but you have to know that I and ok with this. I accepted what is suppose to happen. And I know what I am doing is right..."

"No!" He snapped, whipping around again with his fangs clicking out, a sight that made me stand back with a jump. "This is not right and you doing this just to save all of us is not right either. And if you go through with this, if you allow yourself to die without even fighting for your life, then I will never forgive you."

"Are you serious?" I asked, my mouth falling open." You would carry around this refusal to forgive me for the rest of your life. You would really torment yourself like that? Just because I died? You wouldn't forgive me for that?"

"No I wouldn't forgive you because if you died, then I wouldn't be able to love you anymore and that's what would torment me for the rest of my immortal life." Eric spat out, sounding angry and he rushed forward to push me against the wall roughly. "You came into my life, and you made me fall in love with you. And now you have the audacity to tell me you are going to die. And that's what pisses me off. I would hate you forever for making me love you."

"Eric, please." I begged, feeling fear creep into my voice as I stared straight ahead at his mouth where those fangs were staring me right in the face. "Just calm.."

"Don't tell me to calm down." He hissed quietly and then he did something I wasn't ever expecting him to do.

His hand left my arm to reach up and grab a fistful of my hair before he yanked my head to the side so my neck was exposed. And then, just as I was feeling the tip of his fangs grazing the skin of my neck, I heard him growl before he plunged them completely into my veins, a sharp pain ripping through me as he roughly drank from me. This wasn't like the other times he drank from, those times had been during sex and he had always done it in a way that it never hurt me or that I barely even noticed it. But this was something I very aware of and it hurt, a lot. It was rough and angry and being done because he wanted to inflict as much pain on me that I had just inflicted on him. I couldn't do anything to stop him as he had my arms pinned down at my sides while he drank hungrily from me. And just as I was beginning to see black spots in my vision, he suddenly stopped and back away from me. I immediately shot my hand up to my neck to cover the wounds and to stop the blood flow as I stared ahead in shock at Eric who was standing there with my blood dripping from his lips and the darkest look in his eyes ever.

"Eric..." I started to say but he rushed forward again, pinning me back against the wall, his fangs back in my face so I fell silent as he leaned in close to my ear and spoke.

"I will never forgive you for not telling me the truth." He said, and then his grip was suddenly gone as was he. Because when I opened my eyes and looked around, he was no where to be seen.


	41. Down to you

**Chapter 41 Down to you**

_2 days later_

"I'm worried about her." Godric told Sookie 48 hours later as they stood together inside Eric's home in Shreveport and watched through the kitchen window as Allison sat out in the middle of the dark backyard and just stared up at the starry sky as if she was waiting for something to appear to her. It was almost very childlike the way she was just sitting there in the grass, looking around for whatever it was that she was hoping to see. And Godric had a gut wrenching feeling that he knew exactly what it was. "She's been out there for almost 2 hours and I can't help but think that she's waiting for Eric to show up."

"He's not going to appear though and I don't know what makes her think he will." Sookie sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair as she looked at her cousin with a frown. "He hasn't contacted her in the slightest since she told him the truth and I doubt that will change any time soon."

"Yes, you are probably right about that." Godric nodded, feeling sorry for how his child's actions were affecting this girl. "Has she spoken to you about him? Or what is suppose to happen?"

"Neither actually. I mean, she told me the real truth after Eric ran off because she said she didn't want to hide it anymore but other then that, it has been silent." Sookie explained, obviously looking tormented over her cousin's fate and that expression tore Godric up even more then anything else. Allison's death was going to affect a lot of people and they didn't have all that much time to get use to it. "She refuses to talk about him or about her dying, even though we all know now. We're all here for her, we can help her deal with this, but it's like she just doesn't want to deal with it."

"She's dealt with it remarkably well so far which is better then anyone else would have reacted to news like that." Godric pointed out, thinking back to that night all those weeks ago when he had been forced to tell her the truth and she had surprised him by accepting it with quiet grace and class. A reaction that still puzzled him to this day. But perhaps she figured that a more out of control reaction wasn't going to change anything so why bother showing it. And since then she had been trying to live her life as she had before, trying to get as much out of it while she still could. "But now, it seems like her telling Eric and the rest of you is making her not want to deal with this at all and avoiding it will not help."

"This really fucking sucks Godric." Sookie turned away from the window with her arms crossed and a distraught look on her face as she looked at him with teary eyes. "Is there really no way to save her?"

"Sadly no." Godric shook his head, unable to hold the partial Fae's gaze for too long. He had his own grief to deal with and having to see it reflected back at him through Sookie would be too much. "If there was a way, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"It's not fair that this is happening to her, she doesn't deserve any of this." Sookie grumbled, kicking at the cabinet underneath the window and clenched her hands tightly. "It's just been one disaster after another and I don't know how she was dealing with all those attacks. And then this thing with Eric happens..."

"It does seem like too much to handle and Eric's actions are not ones I approve of at this time. Or ever really." Godric wished he could just will his child to return but it wasn't as easy as people might think. Sure he could command Eric to come back, but Eric would just run off again. Or if he did stay, he could be overly horrible to Allison for being forced to come back against his will. No, it was up to Eric to return on his own and Godric hoped it was sooner rather then later. "But he will come back. I just know he will."

"He shouldn't have left in the first place. That was just pure idiocy." Sookie snapped, her normally calm face clouding over in darkness and she actually turned back to look at him wit more fury then he thought she was capable of. "I'm so disgusted over him right now. I can't believe he would leave when there is so little time left."

"He's hurting as well." Godric offered in explanation, knowing that deep down it was true. Of course Eric was hurting, he had just been told that the love of his life was going to die. He wasn't just going to take it calmly. "He's dealing with it in the only way he knows how."

"Well his way of dealing is not good enough for me and he needs to get over himself and come home." Sookie hissed, throwing her hands up in the air, showing her frustration. "He can't just disappear, not now. He needs to come back and deal with Allie, before it's too late."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"You know, you're not fooling anyone."

"Excuse me?" I frowned, turning at the sound of Damon's voice as it spoke up from behind me as I whirled around with two bottles of blood in either hand to find both him and Stefan entering the kitchen and taking a seat at the table with expressions that said they were bound to bring up the very subject I had been trying to avoid. I set the bottles down in front of them, my frown still in place as I backed up to the counter and hopped up on the stool and grabbed my mug of coffee. It had been a calm visit so far when the Salvatore brothers had dropped by and it had been nice to kind of just sit around and catch up without having to talk about what had happened. But I should have known it wouldn't have lasted forever because now it seemed like they were ready to talk. But I was just going to play it off as if I had no clue. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Allison, we're not bringing this up to be hard-asses. We're just honestly concerned." Stefan cut in, obviously trying to be the more sensitive one in this equation. "You've been walking around for 2 days pretending like everything is ok..."

"It is ok, I'm ok." I protested, even though as I said it I was being filled with that same uneasy feeling that came whenever I told a lie. "No one needs to be so worried about me. I'm perfectly ok."

"Come on Allison, you can't fool us with your act. We know you too well." Damon pointed out, easily chugging down his blood and setting the empty bottle on the table. "You can't honestly sit there and say that you are ok with what happened two nights ago."

"Since when did you become such a nice guy who cares about other people's feelings?" I snapped, sounding harsher then I had intended to and I looked up apologetically. "Sorry, that was rude. I'm just sick of people saying that to me."

"Maybe if you actually talked to us about it then everyone wouldn't think you were trying to avoid dealing with it." Damon shot back, not looking the least bit offended by my tone. "It was one thing when it was just between you and Godric but now we all know the truth. So you have plenty of people to talk to."

"It doesn't matter how many people know about it, I just don't feel like talking." I rolled my eyes, taking a quick sip of my coffee before looking at the two vampires. "I know what my fate is suppose to be and I have accepted it. There is nothing left to say about it now."

"Allison, you're going to die." Damon said bluntly, becoming the first one of the group to say it like that and it actually made me sit back in surprise. "You're going to die and you just told the vampire you loved the truth about it and he left. There's no possible way you can deal with this on your own and not talk to us."

"Eric is Eric and I knew he wasn't going to react well to this so I was prepared for this." I said, shaking my hair so it covered my neck and hid the fang marks that were still not healed. "And it doesn't really matter if he comes back or not. Because it's not going to matter in the end."

"That is so incredibly morbid." Stefan's mouth fell upon, a sight that did not come naturally to his face being that he was usually pretty good at maintaining control. "I can't believe you would even say it so casually like that."

"Who cares how it comes across? Like Damon said, I'm going to die so I can say anything I want." I shrugged, setting down my coffee mug on the counter. "The sooner everyone just leaves me alone to deal with this in my own way, the better."

"You can't deal with something like this on your own. It's too big to keep inside a tiny body like yours. It will end up destroying you before you know it." Stefan explained, looking like he was getting up to come over to me but I was about to cut him off at the pass.

"Well...then it's a good thing I am already set to die." I waved my hand towards the back door. "You know what? I don't feel like having any more company today. You guys can leave."

"Allison don't be like this..." Damon began to protest but then I gave the order that would leave them no choice but to listen.

"I rescind my invitation to the both of you into this house." I said blankly, watching as an invisible force brought them to their feet and sent them backwards towards the now open door. They opened their mouths to say something as soon as they were sent outside but I wasn't in the mood to listen to anything else so when I reached the doorway, I just kicked the door shut and turned to walk out of the kitchen, determined to just spend the rest of the night alone.

* * *

><p><em><span>40 minutes later<span>_

_"I will never forgive you..."_

"I know you won't Eric. I don't deserve your forgiveness." I muttered to myself as I turned off the running faucet in the bath tub and began shedding my clothes, dropping them on the floor before slipping into the warm water and letting my body sink to the bottom of the tub while thoughts of Eric began to consume me like they had the minute I had become alone for the night.

Damon and Stefan were right when they said my act wasn't fooling anyone and I could see why they had said that. Because me pretending that everything was alright wasn't even convincing me any more. Not that I actually believed that everything was ok, because obviously it wasn't and I knew that after I thought about all that had happened. But in my mind, I guess I thought that not talking about would make it less painful. And that was why after Eric had left, I had gone to see Sookie and Bill and had them call up Godric to bring Stefan and Damon to the house so I could tell them all what happened and about the secret I had been keeping. And then right after that, I had refused to even talk about it, it just did not feel right and there was really no point in rehashing it all over again to the rest of them when I had already had the same conversation with Godric a hundred times. I also didn't want to talk about where Eric was or if he would be back or if he would ever forgive me for lying to him. I didn't want to talk about any of it and being forced to head in that direction made me antsy. Hence why I had ordered Damon and Stefan to leave almost an hour ago. I know they meant well and just wanted to make me feel better, but right now I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." I muttered, lying still in the water with my cheek lying against the side of the tub and sighed. I hated this suffocating feeling of knowing that Eric was out there somewhere, hurting because of me and I couldn't do a thing to fix it. Even if he did come home, there wasn't a good chance of him ever talking to me and that hurt. But it couldn't be anything compared to the pain he was in, or at least I thought he was in.

When Eric left me on that back porch in a bloody heap, I figured it was best to give him some time to cool down and become rational again before I tried reaching out to him to initiate contact. Because I knew him well enough to know that if I pushed him to talk to me right out of the gate then he would be less likely to respond. So I wait until the next night before I tried to do something about it. And I picked up the phone and dialed the only cell phone number I knew he had and was only met with either a hang up or it went straight to voice-mail. I tried calling a few more times but I was only met with the same result and I soon gave up. I even attempted to weasel something out of Pam but she was just as reluctant to talk to me as her maker was. All she would tell me was that she didn't know where Eric was and that he only called when he needed to give her order about running the bar. She claimed to have no idea if he would be back but I knew she most likely did since she was his child and was more privy to this info then anyone else could be. But then again, it wasn't like she was going to share it with me even if she did know. I had hurt Eric yet again and she took personal offense to that and would keep it from me even if I begged her to. So calling again was not an option.

I had tried pushing at our blood bond next, hoping that if I was able to get through then I could tell whether he was nearby or not. Or at least get a sense of what he was exactly feeling. And if I could sense him then he could sense me and perhaps then I could send him my feelings of guilt and shame and he would come back to me. But no matter how hard I tried to push at it, the bond remained closed off, almost viciously so. It was like he knew I was trying to reach him and he was pushing back at the bond just as hard as I was except he was stronger and when I tried to go through, it was like running into a brick wall. He did not want to have any connection to me at all and knowing that I had hurt him to that point was devastating to me. I never wanted to hurt him like this, if anything it was just about protecting him from this kind of pain. But I should have remembered that delaying the inevitable was going to hurt worse then just saying it from the beginning. I couldn't take it back now. It was too late to change my decision. Things were already set in motion by my actions and now I was going to have to deal with the consequences.

I just hoped I would have a chance to make everything right again before time ran out on me.

"This is going to eat away at me. I already feel it happening." I whispered out loud to the water, watching my breath move in ripples across the surface. I felt the pieces of my heart beginning to scatter out into the void my body had become and it was so painful that I knew when the time came, I would most likely welcome death. Because at least then, this torment would be over.

* * *

><p><em><span>At Fangtasia<span>_

"Pam, we must talk. Right now." Godric said upon bursting through the door of what use to be Eric's office only to find the younger female vampire standing by the desk and drinking hungrily from the neck of a young man who had his eyes closed and his head thrown back, a look of pure ecstasy on his face. Godric rolled his eyes, not at all taken aback by this sight because Pam had a tendency to act up when she was left in charge and any rules that Eric had put in place were always thrown out the window when his progeny was left to run the bar. Godric snapped his fingers, gaining the attention of the human and pointed to the door. "Leave now."

"I wasn't finished with that." Pam protested, her eyes growing stormy as the human took one look at them and then took off through the doorway, not even bothering to wipe the trail of blood off his neck as Godric slammed the door behind him and turned to look at Pam. The taller immortal was simply sitting on the edge of the desk, wiping her finger around the edges of her lips and licking off the blood that remained behind. "You can be such a kill joy Godric."

"Now is not the time for your back talk Pamela, this is a serious matter." Godric hissed back, not in the mood to have one of these incessantly ridiculous conversations with his child's progeny. "We need to talk about Eric."

"What about him?" She asked innocently but there was a gleam in her eyes that suggested she knew exactly where this was leading to and she was already preparing her comebacks.

"Where is he?" Godric demanded, not seeing any point in beating around the bush. He wanted to know where Eric had been for the past 2 days and nights and he was going to weasel it out of someone and Pam was his best bet for now. "He hasn't contacted me in over 48 hours and I'm worried."

"You shouldn't be, he's perfectly fine." Pam replied, twisting her hair around her fingers while she wore an almost bored expression. "But then again,who knows what my definition of perfectly fine really means."

"You've spoken with him?" Godric felt his entire body stand up straighter at this response from her, that meant that Eric was ok and was just hiding out. As far as he knew, no one else had spoken to his child and that was more to be scared of then anything. But Pam clearly had talked to him since he left and that gave Godric some hope. "Where is he?"

"I have no idea, he wouldn't tell me. But I assume he is still in the country somewhere." Pam said, running her nails over the edge of the desk. "All he has said was that I was to run the bar in his absence."

"That's it? He didn't say when he would be back?" Godric frowned, not liking this at all. He knew Eric would be pouting over this, but he always assumed that he would take in the significance of not having that much time left with Allison and would be willing to put that aside in the face of everything. He looked at Pam and asked "He is coming back right?"

"He might, he might not. That's a choice only he knows about." Pam shrugged, crossing her arms before she stood up and looked down at him. "But I guess you can't really blame him."

"Actually I could." Godric shot back, fighting back the tiny flame of anger he had for his child's actions. He understood where Eric was coming from, he really did. But this was not the time to do something this stupid. "This is not acceptable."

"Not acceptable? Then what would be acceptable?" Pam wanted to know, cocking her hips to the side while she shook her head with a smirk. "Honestly Godric, did you really expect him to stick around after she dropped that bomb on him? You know him better then I do, you should have known he wasn't going to take this well."

"That may be true, but I didn't expect him to just run off when we have a war about to happen any time now." Godric clenched his fists at his sides, trying not to be as angry as he was but he just couldn't help himself. There wasn't time to be distracted by petty things like this problem. They had bigger things to worry about. "I thought he would remember that there are more important things at stake then what's going on with him and Allie."

"Wake up Godric! To Eric there is nothing more important then his hang ups with that girl. And when he gets blindsided the way he was 2 nights ago, you can't just think he won't do anything irrational." Pam threw her hands up, her eyes rolling faster then any humans could. "It's Eric we're talking about. Whenever he's mad, he never reacts calmly or logically. You had to have seen this coming."

"Of course Eric was going to do something stupid, it's in his nature. But it's one thing to remain here and be mad and sulk. It's another thing entirely to run off the way he has when we have a war about to take place. It's just completely reckless." Godric so badly wanted to have faith that his child would wake up and do the right thing and come home. But he was having major doubts because Eric had never been this irrational before. And not when the stakes were this high. "He has to come home and deal with this before it is too late."

"He has to decide that for himself."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

_I really screwed up._

_He hates me now and he should. I never should have kept that secret from him as long as I did. I knew it would blow up in my face but yet I kept on insisting that we didn't tell anyone. And now look where it got me, in a whole mess of hurt and anguish._

_This is so my fault and I have no idea how to fix it._

I couldn't stop these thoughts as they ran rampant in my head as I sat on the bottom step of the staircase and leaned against the banister, my still damp hair falling limply down my back as I tried to make sense of what my life had become but I was beginning to understand that there was no sense.

My decision to stay quiet about my impending death had consequences that I couldn't have even begun to imagine. I had always thought that when the truth finally came out that I would feel relief that I didn't have to hide it anymore. But I was so wrong. Because that silence was a betrayal to my relationship with Eric and that's how we both saw it. He and I loved each other and it wasn't easy for him to admit that but he did. And I repaid him by not giving him enough respect to let him in on a truth that would affect him just as much as it would affect me. And that wasn't right. I wanted him to come home so we could talk about this, so we could make it right and so I could give him some good lasting memories before my death.

But that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks.

What was the point?

I couldn't believe I hadn't allowed myself to think this before now and now that I had it filled me up with the worse kind of anguish that I had ever experienced. Because I knew deep down that it wouldn't matter in the end if Eric came back or not. I was going to die soon and it might even be better if he wasn't here for that. It would be less painful for him if he were away from here when he got news of my death. Maybe then he could move on. So it didn't matter at all, either option sucked. If he came back by some miracle, he wouldn't forgive me anyway. And that would be worse then him staying away. Because then I would have to see him up until my death and it would torment me. But maybe that's what I deserved for hurting him the way I had. Maybe I should suffer up until I passed on. Maybe this is what the universe had been trying to tell me for over a year now. That I was just not meant to be happy. That I was meant to die. Nothing else mattered.

So what was the point of even sticking around here?

"Fuck this." I cried, wiping the tears that fell from my eyes as I shot up from the staircase and over to the table by the door and rifled through my purse until I could find my phone. I couldn't just disappear without saying goodbye to my family. I needed to send out some kind of message to give them closure and that was why I opened my phone and started typing out a message.

_Sookie,_

_I'm sorry but I can't take this anymore. I just wanted to say goodbye and that I love you. Promise me that you and Bill will have the happy ending that I wish I could have. I love all of you and I'm sorry. But this is goodbye. Love Allison._

As soon as I had hit send and the message was delivered, I left the house and started walking towards the woods surrounding the property. I didn't take my phone or my keys or even a jacket, I just walked. I left the lights on and the door unlocked, knowing they would come to the house right away after Sookie got that message. They would be angry and then worried and then scared. But none of that mattered anymore. I just had to leave all this behind me. And as soon as my sneakers touched the first leaves leading up to the forest, I took one last look up at the house and sighed before I plunged into the dark tree line and disappeared into the night.


	42. In the deep

**Chapter 42 In the deep**

"What the fuck do you mean she is gone?" Godric demanded, hardly believing the words coming out of the mouth of Sookie Stackhouse who was standing before him surrounded by Bill and the Salvatore brothers who looked as equally confused as he was. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know. All she was was that she couldn't take it anymore and that she was saying goodbye and that she was sorry. That's all the text message said." Sookie explained, looking at all their faces and cringed. "And then I came here to see for sure that she hadn't changed her mind and she's not here."

"She really did it then." Godric shook his head, knowing that eventually the combination of knowing her fate and then Eric's departure was going to have an effect on her. But he didn't think that she would run away. "She actually made the choice to leave and face whatever it is that's out there."

"You don't think she'll do something stupid do you?" Bill asked, frowning hard as he always did when he was insanely concerned. "You don't think she'll..."

"She'll what? What are you saying Bill?" Sookie whirled around and hit at his shoulder with the heel of her hand. "That she'll just go wandering around until something finds her and that she will just let it kill her?"

"Honestly, that's exactly what I think she is hoping will happen." Godric answered for the younger vampire, not liking how it sounded coming out of his mouth but there was no way of making it more pleasant because it wasn't pleasant at all. "I know how she is thinking. That she was meant to die anyway and that it was only a matter of time before it happened. And I'm sure Eric leaving didn't make her mind frame any better so she's probably figuring why delay the inevitable. That's why she left, to end it all."

"I will kill that motherfucker if I ever see him again." Damon suddenly piped up from the back of the crowd, looking like he was going to shove his fist through the wall if Stefan hadn't grabbed his arm. "I will seriously kill him. And painfully too."

"I am completely with you on that one, he is a dead man. Well, deader then he already is." Sookie's face as she tried to be serious about threatening Eric was so ridiculous that it was almost amusing. "This is all his fault. This wouldn't be happening if he hadn't left."

"Yea, I agree with that." Damon nodded, ripping free from Stefan and stepping forward. "If he hadn't acted like an asshole when she told him the truth then she wouldn't have taken off like this."

"While I don't disagree with the fact that his absence is what pushed her to do this, we can't cast blame around right now. It's not what is the most important thing right now." Godric took charge of the conversation before it could dissolve into an argument about how best to get back at Eric for pushing Allison into running off. That wasn't going to help anyone. "What we need to focus on is finding Allison before she succeeds in what she set out to do."

"Where the hell could she have gone then?" Stefan asked standing to Godric's left with his hands on his hips and a confused expression on his face. "I mean, she didn't take a car so I doubt she could get that far away on foot."

"She's probably just wandering on the roads, most likely towards the city. That's where she is most likely to encounter trouble." Godric stated, scratching his head and tried to figure out where Allison would most definitely go. "She probably doesn't even care how it happens or how painful it is, she will do whatever it takes if it means ending her life."

"Well we have to stop her, she shouldn't die like this, she shouldn't seek out death because she thinks it doesn't matter." Sookie grabbed his arms and looked up at him earnestly. "We need to find her."

"We will, I promise you we will." Godric assured her , squeezing the blonde's arm back gently. "We just have to track her down."

"How are we suppose to do that?" Bill questioned, running his hands through his dark hair. "Her scent is all over Shreveport from her time here with Eric. She could be anywhere."

"Then we have to start with all the main roads and the places she would normally go. Maybe someone has seen her." Godric ordered, pointing to the door. "I'll go to Fangtasia and speak with Pam. Sookie, you and Bill return to Bon Temps in the chance that she might have gone there. Stefan, you and Damon search the highways and back roads. Like Stefan said, she couldn't have gotten far."

"Let's hope that is still the case." Sookie sighed as they all turned in separate directions and set off on their own assignments.

* * *

><p><em><span>Out in the woods<span>_

It was beautiful outside tonight. The moon was full and bright, giving me more then enough light to see where I was going in these dark woods. The tree branches were bare so the moon came down to the forest floor with ease. I could see the stars set against the back drop of the dark sky and it was nice to look at. The wind was chilly and it blew my loose hair all around my face so I had to constantly push it back. My feet were the only things making noise besides the trees and the wind. Nothing else was making it's presence felt. I hadn't encountered another living thing since leaving the house and I had been walking for an hour already. But there was nothing out here. Or at least nothing that was interested in taking me. And that really pissed me off.

"Oh this is just perfect. All the other times I went out and got attacked or hurt, I wasn't looking for a way to end my life. And now the one time I leave to seek out death, it refuses to find me." I shook my head, pausing by a fallen tree and dropped down on top of it with an annoyed sigh. "This is so fucked up."

I thought it would be easier then this, I thought finding something to kill me would have come a lot faster then this. And why shouldn't it? I was a tiny defenseless girl, walking alone in the woods at night when there was a full moon out. I should have been finished off quickly by at least a stray werewolf. But I hadn't been. I hadn't seen anything else come across my path that could be worthy of killing me. And it was really annoying me. I had everything working against me and I wasn't going to put up a fight. But yet, here I was sitting on a log perfectly alive. How was that possible? I never looked for death and yet it had always tried to creep up on me. And now when I just want it to be over, the universe refuses to relinquish its hold on me. It just wasn't fair.

"A pretty girl like you should not be sitting by herself in the middle of the woods, that's just asking for trouble." A cool sounding male voice calm out of the darkness from right behind me, shocking me so much that I fell forward off the log and onto a pile of leaves. I turned to look behind me, trying to see where the voice was coming from when I hadn't even know anyone was there in the first place. And the sound of crunching leaves was now alerting me to the presence of another being, a being that had just stepped out of the shadows of a tree and into the moonlight where I could clearly see his handsome features and they made me feel taken aback by their attractiveness. He didn't make a move towards me and instead chose to stand back by the very log I had just fallen off of with his arms crossed. "You don't look scared of me. You do know I am a vampire right?"

"Of course I do and until you give me a reason to be afraid then all is good." I said, standing up and brushing off the leaves that had clung to my clothes and turned my full focus to this tall and extremely good looking vampire that in some ways reminded me of Eric. Except the structure of his face was more boyish and less guarded then Eric's face was and in some weird way, it almost put me at ease, which I did not want. I wanted to be afraid of him, I wanted to fear that he would flash forward at any moment and drain me dry. He had to be thinking of it. I was a full blooded Faerie and I was alone in the woods. What vampire wouldn't be thinking about it? And I hoped he was, because with how intoxicating my blood was, there was a very good chance that he would make quick work of me. So I looked at him and almost hopefully asked. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Hmmm, maybe I should. You're as delectable as you are beautiful. It would be quite fun to have you." He said without blinking, just as any vampire would and despite his direct approach, I still did not feel any flash of fear. I wanted this, I wanted this strange vampire to kill me so I would not have to deal with the pain of my life anymore. And if I allowed fear to fill me up then my blood bonds would open and Godric would be here before I could let death take me. I did not want Godric to stop me, so I forced myself to remain calm. But instead of following through with his statement, this blonde, short haired vampire just started laughing as if it were a joke. "Oh don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I have no interest in killing young Faeries."

"And why not?" I narrowed my eyes, wondering what the hell he was playing at. I didn't want to play games, if he was going to kill me then he should kill me and not tip toe around it. "How can I trust your word? How can I be sure?"

"Because I promised Godric I would keep an eye out for you and hurting you would sort of violate that promise." He replied, smiling as if he could tell I was feeling shocked over his words. It seemed too coincidental that I am intercepted by a vampire who just happens to know Godric. This had to be a trick, but apparently it wasn't judging by his next statement. "You see, he had a feeling that one night you would take off and he was taking the proper precautions. Although knowing Godric, he would have forgotten about that little arrangement."

"Um...he's never mentioned any other vampires like you." I pointed out, feeling shocked that I was doing my best to run away from my life and here comes a vampire who just so happens to know one of the most important vampires in my life. It was way too odd. I looked at him again, able to see the blue green of his eyes and asked. "How do you know Godric?"

"I've known Godric since he was first made a vampire." The vamp told me, unfolding his arms and dropping them down to his sides. "Godric and I were friends for a thousand years."

"You knew Godric when he was turned? So you're two thousand years old like him?" I felt my jaw fall open slightly, hardly daring to believe that I was meeting not only a past friend of Godric's but finding out that he was just as old as him. But then... wait, he said they used to be friends. Did that mean they weren't friends anymore and wouldn't follow this favor that I knew nothing about? "You said were, as in past tense."

"Exactly." He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Godric and I are no longer friends, we just converse from time to time."

"So what would you label that now?" I wanted to know, watching him curiously and wondering why Godric had never mentioned him. "Because I have to tell you, if he really asked you to keep an eye on me in the chance that I would pull this, then that sounds like a friend to me. But you said that's not the case. So who are you?"

"I guess some things haven't changed with Godric." This attractive male vampire said cryptically before he set his eyes on me again and I was struck with the sense that he was not going to be doing what I hoped he was going to do. Instead, he surprised me again. "I'm the vampire Godric goes to for information about Faeries and evil witch covens."

"Wait a second. You're how he found out all that?" I was even more floored by the emergence of this information. I had always wondered how Godric had found out about my new found ability to see the future and how he had know the witches wanted my powers. But he had never revealed his sources and now I find out that this vampire who had clearly been friends with Godric way back when, was the one who told him. It was a lot to process at once and I actually forgot about my mission to get myself killed in my zest for information. "And then he asked you to look out for me? Why?"

"I can make sense of it all, if you would like." He told me with a smile and nodded to the moonlit path. "Walk with me and I'll explain."

"Alright." I agreed, knowing it could still possibly lead to my death and I didn't care. I held my hand out to him and said. "I'm Allison."

"Yea, I know your name. Godric mentioned it a few times." His grip was strong but not overly powerful. He shook my hand twice before letting me go and started walking. When I caught up to him. He turned his head to the side and said. "I'm Louie."

"Nice to meet you." I answered politely, having a bad feeling that he might actually become something I did not need right now. A friend.

* * *

><p><em><span>At Fangtasia<span>_

"I cannot believe I have to do this." Pam grumbled to herself as she picked up the phone in Eric's office inside Fangtasia and quickly dialed a number that had been released only to her in the past couple of days, but she had never had a reason to call until now. She heard the other line get picked up and before the person could speak, she cut ahead. "We have a serious problem. Or just a problem. It's up to you to deem if it is serious or not."

"Pam, I told you that I did not want to hear from you unless there was a real problem and knowing you the way that I do, I doubt you are calling me with a serious issue right now." Eric growled, clearly in a bad mood that had been unchanged since he left Shreveport and it only made Pam's amusement at the situation grow as she listened to him vent his frustration. "So, don't take this personally when I say I think you're full of shit."

"It will take more then that to personally offend me. But if you don't think a problem with that stupid Faerie of yours is serious enough then I will just let you go master." Pam replied with a smirk and quickly hung up, knowing that now that she had mentioned Allison, it wouldn't be long before he called back. As mad as he was with that girl, he still cared, no matter what he said to the contrary. And sure enough, the phone began ringing and she picked it up with a smirk. "I guess I have your attention."

"Don't start with me Pam. I am really irritated tonight and I don't have the patience for your mouth." Eric warned, his voice tinged with an edge that indicated he was close to losing his cool as he so often was these days. "Just tell me why you brought up Allison so I can get back to..."

"Back to what? Pouting for yet another night?" Pam chuckled to herself as she heard Eric on the other end of the line making a sound akin to throwing something at the wall. "Oh come on, you know you are making a big deal out of nothing."

"Shut up Pam, you wouldn't be saying that if it were you and you found out this lie." He growled, another thud sounding from his end and Pam struggled against every nerve in her body to not laugh. It would just make Eric even more tense. "Either tell me what is going on or I am hanging up this time."

"Yea, like that would happen after I mentioned your little blood bag." Pam rolled her eyes and sat back in the chair to study her feet propped up on the desk. "Well it seems that we have lost your pet."

"What do you mean you lost her?" Eric's voice was steady for a moment, but it wouldn't remain that way once she told him the truth. "How did you lose her?"

"Ok, maybe lose is not the right word to use." Pam loved playing this game with her maker, if there was one thing she knew how to do well, it was to get Eric to do something he never would have done if left up to his own devices. "Allison sort of...ran away tonight."

"Excuse me? She...ran...away." Eric said each word with a enough staccato to make it seem like its own sentence. She could already picture him curling his hands over something wooden and sure enough she was right when the sound of splinters came through the phone. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"She sent Sookie a text message almost 2 hours ago saying that she couldn't take this anymore and that she was sorry. And Godric says it means that she probably went out to get herself killed." Pam listened gleefully as Eric went silent, knowing that she was on the path to getting him to do what she had called him to do. "Apparently the others are out looking for her and so far they..."

"Of course they won't be able to find her, they are all complete dumb asses." Eric hissed, the phone line being filled with the sounds of furniture being broken. "I have to find her."

"I thought you said you didn't care?" Pam, if possible, smirked harder then she ever had before. "I thought you were done with her? You said only a minute ago that you didn't care."

"Of course I care, I love her. I love her so much that when I find her, I am going to give her hell for doing this." Eric threatened and then there was a crunch, a long squeal, and then there was silence. Pam looked at the phone and then set it back down on the desk before she turned her head to the side and met the eyes of the waiting vampire.

"He broke his phone. But he's coming back." Pam said to Godric, whose eyes lit up in excitement. "He says he is going to yell at her, but he is coming home."

"Good, then telling him she ran off was a good way to go."

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in the woods<span>_

"...Godric knew that after he told you what I told him about those witches wanting your soul, that it could possibly be only a matter of time before you felt the full brunt of that and would try and do something about it. He just wanted to be prepared for anything and so he came and asked me if I would I would just keep an eye out for a young Faerie should I ever come across one here in the woods since I spend so much of my nights out here. I didn't want to agree to it because I spend enough time trying to avoid contact with him...I only said yes because I wouldn't have to be directly involved...All I would have to do is give him a call if I ever saw you...I didn't think I would meet you..And it wasn't until tonight that the opportunity presented itself..."

I listened intently to Louie's explanation of his encounter with Godric and I found myself nodding at this because to me it made perfect sense. It wasn't just that Louie had proven that he knew Godric, but him telling me about their visit where Godric wanted him to look out for me was what made me certain that this was not a vampire to fear. It was so classic Godric to think ahead like this and foresee a situation that I didn't even think I would find myself in. And then him putting me in the care of a vampire I had never met until tonight, was another clue that Louie was nothing to fear. Godric wouldn't have asked him to do this if he couldn't be trusted. And in a way, I hated that. I didn't want to be in the company of another nice vampire. I needed a bad vampire, one that would willingly drink my blood without trying to have a conversation with me first. I should have just said goodbye and walked away. But after talking to him, I found myself oddly fascinated by this old friend of Godric's. Not just because he was handsome as hell, although that helped a little bit, but also because I had never heard of Godric having friends. There was Eric, but he was his child So it didn't really count. And as much as I wanted to just leave this guy behind, I couldn't because I found that I actually was enjoying talking to him.

"So...now that you came across me, does this mean that my freedom has run out?" I asked, looking at him across the moonlit trail and smiled at the way he reminded me of Godric, except Louie's attractiveness stood out to me more. "Are you going to take me back to Godric?"

"I get the feeling that you don't really want me to do that." He said, tucking his hands back under his arms and cocked his head to meet my eyes. "Because if I were to take you back or bring him to you, then I'm fairly certain you would try this escape act again. So I won't return you just yet, as long as you don't go running off."

"Fine, I will grant you that promise." I told him, finding myself smiling despite myself. It was a weird act since I hadn't smiled a true smile in over 2 days, but just spending an hour with this vampire who had ties to Godric's past was enough to bring that out of me. And he made me want to know more about him. "So can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask, but I may not answer." He retorted in the same fun loving way that Sookie or even Damon would answer and it almost made me laugh. There weren't many nice vampires out in the world, but obviously Louie was one of those rare finds. If he was truly evil, then I would have been dead long ago. "What do you want to know?"

"You said before that you and Godric use to be friends and that now you only talk when he needs information..." I began, trying to figure out how to phrase this since it obviously held a heavy burden. I got that sense when we were talking earlier. "So why would you agree to alert him to my whereabouts if you guys aren't even friends?"

"Well look at you trying to get to the meat of things.." Louie's handsome face was taken over at that moment by a dazzling smile that somehow allowed his true nature to shine through. "Maybe I said yes because I have a soft spot for pretty Faeries who get themselves into trouble."

"Uh, that's very flattering." I felt my cheeks flame up over being directly complimented by a vampire, not only as old as him but also as handsome and as nice as he is. It was just his flattery, flattery could go so many ways and it wasn't always good. But I felt something else in that moment. I felt charmed by his words, a reaction I hadn't felt from anyone, including Eric in a very long time. But I didn't allow myself to be distracted by it and asked. "So what happened with you and Godric that led to this thousand year old estrangement and then had this stupid little assignment forced upon you?"

"Hmm...figures." Louie frowned, the playfulness gone from his face and he was deeply frowning as if he were remembering something really unpleasant and he had to have been if he was looking like this. "I guess he never told you about his life from back then."

"Um...not really." I shook my head, my long hair falling down my back as I did this. "Godric doesn't like to talk about his past. Why is that?"

"Even the vampire you think you know well, can still surprise you." Louie answered back with a raise of his eyebrows as he tried to make it easy to understand. "As vampires, no matter how good we become, there is still a part of our past that is dark. We all have that, including Godric."

"I can't imagine Godric having anything dark in his life." I stated, hardly daring to believe that the caring friend I knew could possibly have a bad side from a long time ago. But then again, it dawned on me that as close as Godric and I had become, we had only really known each other for10 months. So it was very possibly that there were sides to him that he preferred to keep to himself. I looked up at Louie and asked. "Care to explain that one?"

"This will probably open up a can of worms but I guess I will risk it." Louie was gritting his teeth as he said this, so whatever happened in their shared past had to be bad. He came to a stop in the middle of the path, turning his body to face me and in the moonlight, I saw the flash of anger in his features before he said. "Let's just say I wasn't the only one who had a soft spot for Faeries."

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"DAMN IT GODRIC, YOU BETTER BE HERE."

"Oh boy, here comes that charming man right now." Godric sighed as he looked towards Pam, who was sitting across the table from him in the kitchen and sent her a guarded look. "Brace yourself. This is not going to be good at all."

"Oh please.." Pam waved her hand in the air to show she wasn't worried at all. "I knew he was going to storm in here screaming when I made that phone call. This is not a surprise."

"Remember that when he is..." Godric began saying but it was that moment that Eric chose to run into the kitchen, moving so fast that he ended up going out through the back door with out even realizing that it was shut. The screen door fell with a clatter on the porch as both him and Pam stared after Eric in shock before the former viking appeared to collect himself and came back inside the house witch a dark look on his face. Godric shot Pam one more look before he settled his focus entirely on Eric. "My child, you have..."

"Where is she? Where is Allison?" Eric demanded, completely disregarding Godric's turn to speak and whirled around on his heels, making squeaking noises on the tile as he looked around in all corners as if expecting Allison to just suddenly pop up from behind the counter. Eric, upon not seeing her, turned back around and sent his glare at Godric. "Where is she?"

"They haven't found her yet, Eric." Godric tried to say gently, seeing the distress in his progeny's eyes underneath the unhinged fury. "The others are still looking for her."

"You have vampires and a telepathic Faerie looking for her and there has been no progress? You all are complete idiots." Eric threw his hands up in the air, his frustration and worry shinning through his wild motions. "And what the hell are you two doing just sitting here? You should be out there looking."

"We were looking but once Pam called you, I thought it would be best if we came back here to wait for you to show up. And also in the off chance that Allison may have come back." Godric answered calmly, watching Eric and observing the erratic way he was stomping across the floor and it almost made him smile. It was obvious that despite his absence, that he was still very much in love with the young Faerie. He may have been angry and he had the right to be, but his concern and worry would win out every time. "The others are trying to track her and they will find her. You just have to be patient."

"I don't really feel like being patient right now. Not when she is out there purposely putting herself in danger." Eric snapped, grabbing the back of a nearby chair and curled his long fingers over it. "Do you know that she closed off her bond to me?"

"I figured she would, since she did the same with me." Godric nodded, thinking back to how he thought that if maybe he could feel her through their bond that maybe it would lead him to her. But she had completely shut him out and that drove him nuts. He wasn't use to not being able to find someone through a bond. Eric very rarely shut him out and he didn't think Allison would. But then again, she was determined to end this so she wouldn't want anyone to stop her. "But her scent is heavy all over the city and at some point we will find a more distinct trail that will lead us to her. You just have to wait."

"I don't want to wait. I'm sick of waiting." Eric growled, his hands already breaking the chair the longer he stood there and then suddenly, just like that let go and moved away. "I'm going out to find her myself."

"Eric, please just be patient. The others will..."

"The others are all morons. I have to be the one to find her and I will. Just watch me." Eric insisted and once again he flashed out of the room, only this time back out the front door with a resounding slam. When the silence had settled in the house again, Godric turned to look at Pam who simply shrugged.

"Hmmm...he took that well."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Soo..." I slowly began to say, as I walked alongside Louie, still on the same trail as we had been on before and tried to figure out how to bring up what I wanted to ask him about. Ever since he had divulged that he and Godric had been interested in Faeries around the beginning of their estrangement, I had been curious about what exactly it was that had led them to not speak for half their vampire lives. I was more curious then I thought I would be, probably considering that Godric had never really talked about that time to me or anyone as I could recall. So the fact that I was being brought up to speed on my friend's life that I knew nothing about, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and see what I could find out. I just didn't know if Louie would tell me. "What went on with you and Godric?"

"You won't give up on this will you?" He asked, a bemused smile on his face that reflected the one on mine. He was looking at me from the corner of his eyes as we walked. "Is it that imperative that you know?"

"Well you can't just be vague like you have and elude to this big dark thing and then not give me something to go off of." I replied honestly. I hated it when people were hinting at something and then refused to give you the tiniest of clues to satisfy your curiosity. I couldn't let this go now. "Just tell me something."

"You remind me so much of her that it is uncanny." Louie mumbled, shaking his head as he hinted at something that I had no idea what he was talking about. But a second later he came to a stop and turned his body in my direction and said. "Godric and I both loved the same Faerie just little over a thousand years ago. Her name was Helen."

"Godric was involved with a Faerie? I had no idea." I could feel my mouth open slightly at this little bit of news. I couldn't picture Godric with anyone, not because he was desirable or worthy of love, but just because he didn't seem interested in it. But apparently I didn't know the real Godric. I crossed my arms and tilted my head at Louie. "So what happened?"

"Like I said, we both loved her and she loved us. She knew what we were just as we knew what she was and strangely it was never a problem with the three of us." Louie's face was tight as he spoke to me and there was a glimmer of pain that passed through his eyes when he spoke about this other Faerie. "But she ended up picking me in the end."

"Was that why you and Godric aren't friends?" I asked, moving closer to this vampire who didn't seem so much like a stranger anymore. "Because she chose you and not him?"

"No...it's not that." Louie said simply, looking like he was ready to close off this conversation, but then his eyes met mine and I saw something flicker across those blue green orbs and I saw his shoulders sink as if releasing s great weight. "It's because she died."

"Oh...I'm so sorry." I felt myself shrunk back upon hearing this sad news. I may not have know Louie for more then just a few hours, but I felt a strange kinship with him. I may not have lost someone that I was in love with, but I had lost plenty of people that I did love, so I could understand the pain that was in his eyes. It made all my previous pain comes to the surface, making it all the more odd to be standing here in the middle of the woods with a vampire who obviously was having trouble masking his heartache. It just went to prove that vampires could feel just as much as humans could. "How did she die?"

"Don't go there." He made a point of shaking his head adamantly at me. " I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and touching his arm, surprising both him and myself. "You were the one who started going there. Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"Because sometimes a person's pain is better kept inside them." He told me, looking down where my hand was on his arm. "And besides, would you want to talk to me about why you ran out into the woods in the dead of night and continue to hang out with a strange vampire?"

"Alright, point taken." I nodded, understanding where he was going with this and I didn't mind immediately dropping it. " I don't want to talk about my reason for being out here as I beg so I won't push you to talk to me either. But just for the record, I don't think you're strange."

We both fell silent after this and just stood there on that path with the wind blowing between us and I finally dropped my hand from him just as the thought began creeping back into me that this night had been very friendly and that was not the direction I wanted to take things. I had not lost sight of what I had come out here to do. I was still in the mind frame of not wanting to fight anymore and was willing to let anything take me at this point. And considering that I was standing in the moonlight with a vampire I didn't really know, I was hoping that even though we got kind of deep, that maybe he could be the one to end it for me.

"Will you do me a favor?" I asked him suddenly, just as it appeared that he was going to start walking but my words stopped him.

"It depends on what the favor is." He replied back, his face going back to its previous relaxed state it had been in, not knowing what I was about to ask him. "What is it?"

"Will you kill me?" I asked this so seriously that I was amazed I had managed to get that out without my voice wobbling in the slightest. I guess it was just a true testament to how much I had accepted my fate and how ready I was for it to be over. But still it was weird to hear myself make such a request in a relatively calm tone. Louie, however was reacting the way I should have been reacting. His face was twisting in horror, not fake horror, but true undiluted disgust that was showing in every part of his face. "What?"

"I cannot believe you just asked me that." Louie immediately took a step back as if I were the one more likely to cause damage then him. His taller frame looked down at me with the most ghastly look I had ever seen on a vampire's face. "What would possess you to ask me to kill you?"

"Why not? I'm going to die anyway whether you do it or not." I shrugged, my mind already going back to the state it had been in when I left the house and I was back to not caring who finished me off as long as it happened. "Someone should get something out of my death. And I know how intoxicating my blood, so you can just drain me..."

"No." Louie shook his head so quickly that it became a blur and when he stopped, his glare got even more intense. He looked utterly human right now because when presented with a willing person to drain and that blood just happened to be Faerie blood, any vampire would have done it without a second thought. But he was looking like a normal human who I had just made this request to."There's nothing that would ever make me want to kill an innocent person...I won't do it."

Louie turned his back on me and started walking away, making it known that my time was limited if I just wanted him to do it. He surprised me when he turned my blood down. But perhaps he just needed an incentive of some sort. I felt my eyes trail down to the ground and land on a jagged, sharp rock lying not too far from my foot. I quickly leaned down and grabbed it in one hand. And before I could talk myself out of it, I violently slit my skin at the space below my elbow on the inside of my arm and almost immediately the blood started flowing heavily. I heard myself gasp out of pain but it wasn't the noise that made Louie whip around. It was the smell of blood that was now hanging in the air. He was about 10 feet away when he turned around and even from that distance and in the in the dark, I could see the gleam of white coming from his mouth as he was now looking at me with his fangs bared. I let my eyes drift up until they met his and then I dropped the rock back on the ground and stood there stoically.

"Will you kill me now?" I asked, seeing the conflicting look on his face and I knew I had succeeded in jolting him. His eyes left my face and zeroed in on the heavy flow of blood rolling down my arm to my wrist, making a 3 different trails of blood that dripped down the back of my hand and over my fingers. I saw his lips move, his tongue gliding over the tips of his fangs and I knew this was it. "Go ahead...kill me."

Louie started moving towards me, a wildly hungry look in his eyes just as his hands raised up in the air to grab me. And I just stood there to let him do what he will, I wasn't going to fight. I was had come out here on a mission and it seemed like it was going to happen. I was prepared to finally die.


	43. When will you learn

**Chapter 43 When will you learn**

I stood there waiting for him to grab me, to sink his fangs into my neck, to drink my blood hungrily until there was nothing left in my body. Until my insides were shriveled up and dry. Until my vision clouded over in black spots and I could no longer make out anything around me. Until I fell to the ground, finally in death's grasp. All the pain, all the anguish, all the torment would be gone. I would be at peace. This whole thing would be over for me and I could just disappear into the clouds, never having to feel the pain of living ever again. It was all going to be over soon. It was going to come as quickly as the blood was seeping down my arm. And when Louie got closer and I saw his hand reach out to take my arm, I knew this was it. The end was coming.

But it didn't happen quite like that.

He reached for my left wrist that was now so coated by blood that my skin wasn't visible, and circled his strong fingers around it. But he didn't pull me forward to suck at the wound. He didn't yank my head to the side to sink his fangs into my neck and he didn't even lick up the blood that was still flowing freely down my arm and staining his skin in the process. In fact he never did anything to even try and taste my blood and that was shocking. How could any vampire ignore this much full Fae blood when the Fae in question wasn't even going to fight him off. It was just so unexpected. But it was his next action that was more surprising. He held my wrist in his hand so my arm was stretched out and then he reached over and took my right hand and brought it over to the inside of my arm where the cut was and pressed my palm right on it before he let go and stepped back. I stood there with my hand clamped to my bleeding arm while our eyes looked up and met each other at the same time.

"You'll be ok." He said calmly, not at all bothered by the amount of blood that I was covered with and was reacting as steadily as if nothing had never even happened. That was so rare for a vampire. "Put pressure on it and it will stop the bleeding."

"Wait a second." I called out when it looked like he was turning to leave. When he paused to look back over to me, I frowned and stepped forward. "That's it?"

"What else were you expecting me to do?" He asked, his eyes gliding down to my arm again and there was still an enormously hungry look in those blue green orbs. So why wasn't he doing anything about it? Why wasn't he trying to drain me? He was just standing there like nothing was the matter while I practically bled out in front of him.

"You're not even going to try to kill me?" My mouth fell open over the fact that I even had to ask that. Louie was two thousand years old and obviously knew how delectable Faerie blood could be. And yet, he wasn't taking advantage of the fact that I would other no resistance should he try and kill me. "I'm willing to let you drink from me and you won't do it. Why not?"

"I already told you. I will not be the one to take your life. That's not the way it should end for you. And I refuse to do it." Louie grit his teeth so hard that I could hear the grinding from where I stood. His expression showed that he couldn't ignore how sweet my blood smelt to him, but he was displaying the most control I had seen of any vampire in this kind of situation. It would have been impressive if I wasn't so desperate for him to finish me off. But it was clear he wasn't going to do that. "Slitting your own arm and spilling your own blood will not tempt me to drain you. I refuse to take the life of an innocent Faerie."

"But I'm giving you permission to do it. I won't fight you off. So please just take me and end this suffering. I'm begging you." I let my hand off the wound and held my arm out to him just as the blood started flowing in the hopes that this time it would entice him. But just like before, he took my hand and simply covered the cut again and instead of pulling away, he held his hand over the top of mine so it would put the pressure on the cut. I tilted my head back so our eyes met again and I felt my lower lip quiver as I asked. "Why won't you do it? Why can't you just kill me already?"

"This is so incredibly sad to me." Louie replied, his free hand coming up to brush the hair out of my eyes that were threatening to spill over with tears. He raised his eyebrows at me and asked. "Why are you fighting so hard to die when you should be fighting to live?"

"I...I don't know." I found myself shrugging, the hot tears now rolling down my cheeks unrelentingly and I sighed. " There's no point in trying to fight when I am meant to die."

"No one is ever meant to die. There is always a way out of anything. It's just a matter of searching deep inside yourself for the answer." Louie explain, not making any sense as he brought his hands up to my shoulders. " There's still hope for you yet, you shouldn't give up this easily."

"What are you saying? That there's a way that I can live? How is that possible when you were the one who told Godric that I had to die in order for these witches to stop attacking?" I was confused by this statement because if there had been a way to avoid me having to die, then I think we would have figured it out by now. But Louie had told Godric the outcome, if there had been another way then I would assume Louie would have divulged it, but he hadn't. And now he was standing there telling me I mat not have to die. It didn't make any sense. "How am I suppose to avoid death?"

"I do not know, but you'll figure out. I honestly believe that." Louie stated, reaching out and wiping a fallen tear off the side of my face and he smiled gently at me, more gently then any other vampire had. "I don't think this was mean to be your fate. No Faerie should die before their time."

"But I can't see a way out of this. I've tried and nothing has come to me." I told him, wiping away the rest of my tears as I envisioned all the times I had tried to foresee the outcome of this war but I had not been able to do it. I had never seen how it would start or end or who would die. I didn't see how I was suppose to die, my future was too tied to this war but if I was suppose to die then I should have seen how it happened. But maybe because I was meant to die, that was the reason I couldn't see my death. Or if according to Louie, I could still live, it was only a matter of figuring out how to outsmart the universe and cheat my own death. "How am I suppose to do this?"

"You'll figure it out, it's not a complicated plan. And I have a feeling you already know the answer. It's right in front of you, you just have to clear your mind to see it." Louie answered back before he nodded down to my bleeding arm and said. "Well now I have to take you back to Godric. You're bleeding so heavily that if there is anything within a few miles of this spot, they will smell you. So it's time to go back."

"Oh I am not looking forward to this." I grumbled, thinking of the lectures and yelling that would come my way when I showed up again. But I didn't have a choice as Louie chose to sweep me off my feet and into his arms before he took off like lightening through the forest and back towards Eric's house. It wouldn't take long to get there and I was just hoping that by the time we arrived that I could just sneak upstairs before anyone would realize I was back.

But I knew it wasn't going to be anywhere near as easy as that.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"He's here."

"Who's here?" I asked Louie as he set me down when we entered the yard right after coming out of the woods and I looked up at him with a frown. This was the first thing he had said to me since he decided that he had to take me home. Granted it would be hard to keep up a conversation when he was whipping through the trees at a speed that blew the wind right at my face, but I still thought he would have said something. It wasn't until we reached the edge of the tree line and stepped out into the yard did he break the silence and it was in a way I wasn't expecting. "I left the lights on when I left, so that doesn't mean anyone is home."

"Godric is inside, I can smell him." Louie answered, his nose turned up to the air in the direction of the house and I saw the muscles in his face tense. What was that about? He said he was looking out for me as a favor to Godric but yet, he got all weird whenever his name was mentioned. I never got a full explanation of their history and while I did want to know, I knew this was not the right time. Louie nodded to the house. "Godric is with a female vampire."

"That would be Pam, Eric's progeny." I rolled my eyes and held back from groaning. Oh this was not going to be good at all. If Pam was inside with Godric then that could only mean that my disappearance had gone over so terribly that they had felt the need to call on her for assistance and I was quite sure that she might have even called Eric and told him about this even though he was mad at me. And now, thinking about what lay before me, I almost did not want to go in. "This is going to be extremely bad."

"Yes, I can imagine it will be." Louie nodded, his lips pressed together in a tight line before he nudged me forward. "But we cannot put it off, or more accurately, you can't put it off."

"Would you like to come in?" I asked suddenly, thinking it would make things interesting to see how Godric and Louie interacted with each other in my presence. And also maybe seeing each other again could start them on the path to becoming friends again. In the short time that I knew Louie, I already liked him. And I loved Godric and if I could get them together again then that would be great. "You really ought to, just in case I need back up."

"I have a feeling you don't need all that much protection, but I will accompany you inside." Louie agreed, picking me up again in his arms and traveled in a flash across the huge yard and right on over to the front door that to my surprise was was still unlocked. He set me down on my feet and waved me forward to enter first, which I did slowly, not knowing if I would find the other waiting for me in the entrance when I walked in. I pushed open the door and with my hand over my bleeding arm, I stepped into the home I didn't think I would be returning to ever again. I looked over my shoulder and shrugged to Louie that he could now follow me in and he did. He himself had barely shut the door before...

"Holy sweet Jesus, what the fuck happened to you?" Godric voice shouted at me before I even realized he was in the room. I had barely looked up long enough to set my eyes on the sight of him and Pam coming out of the hallway to the kitchen when they both came to a stop, their eyes wide as they took in me standing there half covered in blood next to this strange vampire that only two of us knew about. I saw Godric's eyes flash towards Louie and for a second I saw something that looked like fury pass through his normally calm features. He stepped forward almost threateningly and said. "If you hurt her …."

"Godric relax, Louie didn't hurt me. I did this to myself." I told him, not wanting Louie to shoulder the blame for something he didn't do. I saw Godric's eyes widen, but I think it was more because he realized that I knew who Louie was and not because I had hurt myself. "I cut my arm with a rock so I would start bleeding in the hopes that he would..."

"Oooo I know where this is going." Pam said excitedly, clapping her hands together almost gleefully. But Godric took that second to send her a look and she rolled her eyes and then proceeded to shoot out of the room and out the back door. I don't know what that was about but I didn't get a chance to think about it further because Godric's head whipped towards me and I took a step back when I saw the look he was wearing.

"You purposely cut yourself in his presence before you knew who he was in the hope that he would take your life?" Godric was mad, I could see that in his eyes and it made me nervous. He had never looked at me that way before and I knew he was going to freak out but I just knew that what I thought he was going to look like was nothing compared to what I was seeing now. "You were trying to tempt him to kill you by drawing blood? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"At the time no." I shrugged, wanting to kick myself for not being better prepared for this onslaught of anger. "I was suppose to die anyway remember? So why put it off? Why not do it this way?"

"You are a very stupid girl for doing something like this." he rolled his eyes, a reaction not very common on Godric's face when he was talking to me. He looked up at Louie and his eyes went dark. "And you! We had a deal. You were suppose to bring her back right away of you ever found her."

"What makes you think I didn't just find her a few minutes ago?" Louie shot back, standing as stoically as he had been when I first saw him a few hours ago and his posture hadn't changed now that he was standing in front of Godric.

"Because she knows who you are and seeing the way she doesn't seem afraid of standing next to a two thousand year old vampire covered in blood, makes me think that you two have been talking these last few hours while everyone has been out looking for her." Godric snapped, taking another step forward while he glared up at Louie. "It's obvious that you two ran into each other not long after she left the house. So don't insult my intelligence by denying it."

"You have pockets of intelligence?" Louie smartly asked, clearly changing his nice guy persona now that he was looking at Godric. I already knew they had a dark past connected to this former Faerie, but it was obviously a lot deeper then I thought. "I never knew that about you."

"Don't start Louie, this is not the time to rehash our history. There are more important things to attend to." Godric growled, sounding so terrifying that it was hard to believe this was the same vampire who had called upon Louie to help him. Godric sent him one last look before he turned to me and narrowed his eyes in a way that made m shrink back. "You need to be healed."

"Yea, uh..I will take care of that myself." I backed away and around him, knowing he was going to say that Eric would offer me his blood but there was no way in hell that I would be taking it if he showed up. So I was just going to make my way into the bathroom and grab the first aid kit. And I would have been on the verge of doing that had it not be for the front door opening again and two more figures walked in and froze in their spots when their eyes landed on me. It was the vampire that had entered the fray, it was the blonde who was standing next to him. "Sookie..."e

"Allison Stackhouse..." Sookie shook her head as she left Bill's side and walked up to me. I thought she was going to hug me out of relief that I had come back in one piece, but when she was within arm's distance, she whipped her hand back and smacked me across the face. A gasp rang out from the three vampires as my head snapped to the side and I grabbed my face with my hand in shock. I looked at Sookie who was standing there with her hands on her hips and the most furious look in her eyes. "How could you do something so stupid?"

"I'm sorry, I was just..." I began to say but Sookie cut me off by doing something even more unexpected and enveloped me in one of the tightest hugs she had ever given. I couldn't even hug her back because I was so surprised. "Uh, you just slapped me and now we're hugging?"

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." She scolded when she pulled away and waved a finger in my face sternly. "If you ever pull a stunt like that, then I will seriously kick your ass."

"I'm sure you will..." But once again I was cut off by the back door opening and just like before, the hallway coming from the kitchen was now full of two figures. But this time, Pam wasn't with Godric. This vampire was much taller and hadn't been seen in over two days. It made me drop my arms from around Sookie and move away towards the stairs while my heartbeat picked up quickly. "Oh fuck."

"You...that's a lot of blood...who did ….are you...what the fuck happened?" Eric couldn't even formulate a full sentence which was not like him at all. He of all people always had something to say and I would have thought that the first time we saw each other since I told him the truth that he would be on a rampage but I don't think that was the case. I saw his eyes shoot towards the new vampire in the room and just like Godric, his eyes narrowed considerably. "Did he do this to you?"

"Why am I always the one to blame?" Louie asked, looking around in mock shock. "Why do people always assume I am the one that attacked her?"

"Because you're a hot vampire that he's never met, so you're automatically the enemy." Sookie said with no shame. "Eric's threatened by any vampires who are around Allie. Especially really good looking ones."

"Sookie!" Bill exclaimed, slapping his forehead with the heel of his hand and had he been human, he would be turning red right now.

"I'm not threatened." Eric denied, even though he was staring at Louie with a challenging look in his eyes. Louie didn't seem worried at all and considering that he had a thousand years on Eric, he didn't have to get worried. But that didn't mean Eric wasn't going to stop looking like his territory was being invaded. He looked back towards me and his face went blank even though his eyes zeroed in on the blood with an intensity that was reflected in his movements when he brought his wrist up to his mouth. "Get over here, I'll heal you."

"Oh no you don't. I'm not taking your blood." I immediately shook my head, feeling that same feeling come over me every time Eric and I got into this same spat. He would run off and I would hurt and he would try to fix me with his blood. Well this time was going to different. I was refusing to take his blood until we talked this through and even then I wasn't sure I would do it. But that would have to be another time because I was not in the right frame of mind to deal with anyone right now. I started backing away to the staircase with my hand back over my arm. "Look, I'm going upstairs to get cleaned up. And I will eventually talk to you guys about what happened...but not tonight."

"Like hell you are." Eric snapped, making a move to go forward but Godric appeared in his path to stop him from charging at me. "You can't just disappear for hours, scaring the shit out of everyone, and then show back up here covered in blood saying you don't want to talk about it. You are going to talk and you will talk right now damn it!"

"Maybe you should have stayed away instead of storming in expecting me to what you say." I shot back, feeling a strange sense of rebelliousness rise up in me as I faced this group before turning away to head up the stairs. But I had barely gone up two steps before I heard a gust of wind rush by me and when I looked up it wasn't Eric standing in front of me, it was Louie. "Uh what the hell are you doing?"

"Stopping you before you make a mistake." He told me with a smile akin to the one he had shown me in the woods when we met. He came down to the step I was standing on and then leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "Don't shut them out, let them help you."

"Easier said then done." I grumbled, looking back to where Eric stood still trying to get away from Godric and was looking even more antsy to do it now that another vampire was just inches away from me. It was almost like he was jealous and even though I had conflicting feelings towards him, seeing him jealous just proved he still loved me despite my mistake. I looked back at Louie and asked. "Are you leaving?"

"I have to. I did what I was asked to do, I returned the treasure." He said with a goodhearted smirk as he reached for my hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing my knuckles slightly which brought on a very loud and territorial growl from Eric but I ignored it when Louie spoke again. "It was an undeniable pleasure to meet you. I hope it wont be the last time."

And then just like that he was gone before I could blink, the sound of the door slamming shut was the only other sound in the room. I looked into all the faces that were now staring at me with a mixture of different expressions, enough that it made me throw my hands up in the air and stomp all the way upstairs.

"I should have just stayed out in the woods instead of coming back to this hell hole."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Damn it, it's every where." I cried out in frustration as I stood at the bathroom sink and furiously scrubbed at my arm with a washcloth, trying to remove the layers of caked on dried blood that had covered my skin from my elbow all the way to my fingers tips. But no matter how many times I rubbed, the blood seemed determined to stay there and this was what was taking me so long in the bath room. I had managed to clean and cover the wound as soon as I got upstairs which had been my first priority, but now I was faced with the task of trying to clean myself up which was turning out to be a longer process when I looked up in the mirror and found two pairs of eyes staring back at me. "Oh dear god, this is like the intervention that never ends."

"We need to talk." Godric's voice was guarded as he nodded to Eric and they both entered the room and shut the door behind them before Godric looked at me through the mirror and said. "You know you can't avoid talking to us about what you did."

"I already know what you both are going to say so let me save you the time and aggravation by doing it for you." I dropped the cloth into the sink and turned around with my arms crossed over my bloody clothes. "Yes it was stupid for me to run off. Yes it was stupid for me to go looking for a way to get myself killed. It was even more crazy to draw blood in the presence of a two thousand year old vampire who could have killed me if he hadn't been working on your orders. I know it was a mistake and I can assure you I won't do it again."

"So you knew everything you were doing was wrong and yet you still went ahead and did it?" Eric asked, leaning against the wall by the door with his back completely straight so he looked even taller then he already was. He was containing his anger, trying to keep it at bay as long as he could. I could tell that much without feeling it through a blood bond. "How could you be so selfish? Do you have any idea how fucking scared we all were? You could have died!"

"Yea, that was the point." I shot back, directing my eyes to the floor so I wouldn't have to look at either of them or else I would never have the courage to do talk about why I had done what I did. "I knew that if I walked out in to the woods alone at night then there was a good chance I would be attacked and killed. And I really didn't care at the time."

"How can you not care about your own life?" Godric demanded, rushing forward to roughly grab my chin and pull my face up to meet his. "How could you just go out there and try and find death? What is the matter with you?"

"I couldn't take this anymore, that's why!" I snapped at him just as a flood of tears came spilling down my face, taking me by surprise as I pulled away from Godric. "There have constant attacks. People I love are getting hurt because of me, you got hurt because of me. I've been hunted by a werewolf and shot in the leg because I'm the target. Sookie almost got hurt because of me and I thought Eric had been staked right in front of me. And then he leaves when I try and be honest with him and I just couldn't take it anymore. It's too much to deal with..."

"And you just thought you would end it all.." Godric finished for me, his face softening slightly as he reached out to take me arms in his hands. "Allison, you can't deal with it by trying to get yourself killed."

"And why not?" I asked, pushing his hands away. "Why shouldn't I have gone out tonight to die? It was going to happen eventually so there was no point in delaying it."

"Allison, you don't know for sure..."

"Godric, just accept it as I have. I'm going to die and there's no way around it. I was just trying to move the process along." I urged him to believe, because it pained me to see him still hold on to the belief that I could live and I knew I couldn't. Even though Louie had said there was always a way to get out of something, I couldn't see a way and there was no reason to raise false hope. "And besides, it wouldn't matter if I did die because I would just be doing Eric a favor since he hates me. I have nothing good left in my life anyway."

"I don't hate you." Eric spoke up roughly, and even though his words said one thing, his expression said another. "I don't...I'm just angry that you didn't tell me the truth. I'm allowed to be pissed about that. But that doesn't mean I don't still care."

"Oh sure you do." I scoffed doubtfully, looking him full on in the face for the first time since we laid eyes on each other in the time we had spent apart. "You running off for two nights really shows that you care."

"Don't try throwing that shit around like you are some all might being." Eric hissed, flashing forward and taking Godric's place in front of me. "You ran off too and did the same thing, so don't try and act like this thing between us right now is entirely my fault."

"Alright, enough of this because I already see where it is going and I won't have you two bickering like children." Godric cut in, pulling Eric apart from me and standing between us. "This needs to go in a more serious direction..."

"You know what? I don't want to talk any more, you both can go away." I stated, turning back around to the sink so I could continue cleaning myself up. I saw in the mirror reflection that neither of them had made any move and that if I kept looking at them, then they would never leave me alone. So I ignored them and went back to washing the blood off my skin, hoping that by the time I was done, then I could just creep back into my room and fall asleep in my bed and put this horrendous night behind me. I needed the sleep if I was going to try and figure out a way to stay alive

That is, if there even was a way.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

Something was wrong when I woke up in the middle of the night. I didn't know what it was that had pulled me out of a deep sleep and when I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness, I couldn't understand why it felt like there was a weight on my chest when I was still safely lying in bed as I had been since I left that bathroom after talking to Eric and Godric. I hadn't been jolted awake by a strange noise or a bad dream or even a vision. Nothing was attacking or going on anywhere else in the house. So I couldn't understand why I would think there was something wrong as I pulled myself up into a sitting position in bed.

And that's when it hit me.

It wasn't my bed in my room that I was lying on. It was a bed that I hadn't been in for almost a year. But it was still a bed I knew very well.

Eric's bed. Downstairs in his safe room. A room I had refused to step foot in since that terrible morning. The morning that destroyed part of my heart that still ached from time to time. And now I was back in the room I had never wanted to ever enter again.

"Oh god. I have to get out of here." I said breathlessly, throwing back the blankets that covered me and fell to the floor in a heap. I scrambled back to my feet, running blindly in the darkness until I hit a wall and began desperately patting around with my hands to find a light or the door. I was so frantic that I couldn't even bring myself to use my powers or even breathe properly. Being in this room made a cold fist close over my heart as I never wanted to be here. But I was and that freaked me out more then I thought it would. I was just ready to start screaming when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and drew me away from the door. I knew it was Eric because I would recognize his touch anywhere but I still struggled even in his stone embrace. "Let me go Eric. I have to get out of here. I can't be in this room."

"Calm the fuck down, before you have a heart attack." He growled in my ear, holding my arms down at my sides as he attempted to calm me by explaining. "I only brought you down here because I wanted to make sure you wouldn't take off at first light and try to run away again."

"I don't care. I don't fucking care!" I cried, humiliating myself when a new bath of tears started rolling down my face as I stood there in Eric's arms for the first time in days. I couldn't even enjoy it because I was so upset about being down here. " I hate this place, I fucking hate it! I never wanted to come back down here since that morning and this is just cruel on your part, no matter what the reason is."

"I didn't think you would react this strongly." He answered back, sounding somewhat nice, even for him as he sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled me into his lap even though I was still fighting him. "I was only trying to keep you safe. I didn't know you would freak out."

"Of course I would freak out, you know how much that morning hurt me. And if you loved me like you claim you do then you would have remembered that." I sobbed, my chest moving up and down rapidly as I moved closer and closer to a full blown panic attack. I shouldn't have let it affect me as much as it did, but I had my walls down for the first time in 3 days and I wasn't able to fight it off now that is was happening. Eric's hands were on both sides of my face and he turned my head to look at what I assumed was his face. I swallowed hard, trying to control myself. "Bringing me down here, was it punishment for not telling you the truth?"

"Allison, don't be stupid." Eric sounded frustrated even though I could detect a hint of amusement in his voice, something I wasn't expecting this quickly after we were reunited. But I guess him thinking I was going to die changed things a little. I felt his fingers tuck my hair behind my ears before he spoke again. "It was only about the fact that I couldn't trust that you wouldn't go out and try to get yourself killed again. I couldn't take that."

"Choose another place to imprison me then. Not this place." I shakily said, my jaw quivering despite Eric's hands on my face. " I can't believe you thought this was a good idea."

"I can't believe you ran off and tried to die." He shot back, sounding angry again and I tried to move off his lap at that moment but he locked his arms back around me and I couldn't move even if I wanted to. An din some ways I didn't want to. I had been hoping that Eric would come back to hold me like this. But right now, it wasn't all good because we were dealing with some pretty major issues. "How could you do that?"

"I told you I couldn't take it anymore. You had left and I didn't know if you were coming back. And even if you did, you said you would never forgive me, so either way I wouldn't have you." I said quietly, turning my head downward so he couldn't look at me in case I cried again. "It was the last straw and I didn't want to keep living this life of pain. I thought I lost you, except this time because you left me again. And I didn't know what else to do."

"So you thought it would be great to take yourself out of the equation? That's the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard." Eric scoffed, moving me off his lap so I was standing but instead of letting me go, he pulled me right between his legs and turned me so I was facing him head on. "How could you do this to me? How could you draw blood and risk getting killed by that pretty boy vampire? You knew doing that was going to invite trouble even if it wasn't from Louie, something else wold have attacked you. There are things out in the world just waiting for a piece of meat like you to come walking into their paths. How could you use yourself as bait..."

Bait...Bait...Bait...Bait.

It was like a light was suddenly turned on in my head and I was seeing everything unfold right in front of my eyes. I gasped loudly, somehow finding the strength to grab Eric's shoulder tightly in my hand as I repeated that one phrase in my head. Bait. That was the answer Louie had assured me that I knew about and just couldn't see at the moment. But now I was seeing it so clearly that it was taking my breath away but in an entirely good way. Because just by this thought alone, my entire future changed and I quickly found Eric's in the dark and before I could stop myself, I grabbed his face and laid the most passionate kiss ever in my life on his lips. He was taken aback and was just trying to return the kiss when I broke it off and screamed loudly and long right in his face.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked, covering my mouth to muffle the sound by I was already done screaming by the time he did this.

"I know how I can stay alive." I quickly said, looking back at him and slapping his broad shoulders in excitement as I was amazed I hadn't thought about it before now. "It came to me just now. I know how to defeat the witches and still stay alive."

"How?" Eric was giving off a doubtful vibe through our blood bond. "Godric said it was impossible."

"I thought it was too because he said the only reason it couldn't possibly work was because the entire witch coven knew about me and they would still keep coming even if we defeated the ones in the war." I explained, feeling it work itself out in my head. "But what if we could get the entire coven to be in one place? Then we could kill them all and the problem would be solved."

"Yea but you would have to insure that every one of those witches was there. How are you going to do that?"

"We use me as bait to lure them out so they can come and get me...or at least, let them think they are. If they think I will go to them and offer my soul then that could be the kind of thing that generates them all to show up in the same place to see it happen." This wasn't false hope rising up in my chest, it was real hope. I knew deep down in my gut that this was the answer I had always hoped had been there and now it was presenting itself in its entirety. "And before they show up, we have our army ready in the background to attack. That way the coven is wiped out and I wont have to die."

I knew Eric was going to say no at first because I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't want me to use myself as a way to lure an entire coven to the very spot where I was. But I knew it would work. It was simple, but it could be effective. It would give me a new lease on life, a chance to stay with Eric for the rest of my immortal life until it was time for me to go. One day I would die and I would welcome it after a long life. But that day was not today and it wouldn't be for a long time.

I wanted to live damn it, and I would do whatever it took to make that happen.

**A/n: So this is the time when i have to make an announcement on the status of this story..it is quickly coming to an end, only 9 more chapters to go until it is done. And the finale is a threee parter...but no worries, there is a 4th fic. So please review and i will update fast again**


	44. Igniting the flame

**Chapter 44 Igniting the flame**

"No." Eric shook his head furiously, not even willing to listen to what I was saying even though I knew deep down that it was a good idea. However, anything that put me in the front line of danger was an immediate no to Eric. "Absolutely not."

"You didn't even consider it." I protested, crossing my arms over my chest as I tried to search him out in the dark. I noticed that my arm no longer hurt when I moved it and that proved that Eric must have forced his blood on the wound while I had been sleeping. And I was furious when that dawned on me but I had to push it aside because it was not the most important thing and I was sure by the end of this conversation that I wasn't even going to remember being mad over him healing me. "You didn't think it over at all."

"I did actually and its a stupid idea." Eric hissed at me as he passed the spot I was standing in and stomped his way across the room. "It's an incredibly stupid and suicidal idea."

"No, its not. I won't say it's the safest because it isn't, but it's also the only thing that makes sense for us to do." I tried to tell him even though I could barely make out his frame in the dark room. I knew he wasn't going to take this as easily as I had hoped. But I wasn't completely naïve and I had prepared myself for this onslaught and I was even more prepared to fight him on it. "If we want me to stay alive, then we need to kill every witch in that coven. And they will all show up if they think I will give myself up to them. But I won't die as long as we make sure the people on our side can move in and start attacking. I may get hurt, heck we all may get hurt, but we will survive. It's like a brilliant plan."

"No it's not." Eric, long arms went flying up in the air, his finger tips nearly scrapping the ceiling. "You never have brilliant plans and this is really one of your most idiotic ones of all time. Using yourself as bait! Ha!"

"We have to do this or else I won't have any more time to spend with anyone. These witches will come and they will try and take me in some stealth kind of way. They will torture me until I do give up my soul and I refuse to give them power." I shuddered at the thought of what they could do to me to try and get me to give up my soul and powers. It was all dark and scary and unlike anything I had been through before. And it would have to be in order to force me to surrender myself. But I had no intention of falling for it. There was no way I would ever give myself up like that. But I would need a some help if I was going to do this. "But it will be very hard to hold on if they torture me and even then I may die anyway. At least if we do it my way, then we have a fighting chance. You do want me to live don't you?"

"You know I do." Eric stopped moving and whipped towards me. "I want a thousand years with you, I want forever with you if possible. I want us to always be together, not torn apart before our time has come. We haven't even really begun to scratch the surface and we need that chance. Hell, we deserve that chance."

"Ok, then stand by me on this one and stop trying to talk me out of it." I urged him, feeling my forehead wrinkle in a frown."Whether you agree or not, I am going to do this. And you can't stop me."

"Want to see me try?" Eric was now sounding like he was throwing out a challenge to me and as much as I did not want to physically fight him after these last few days, I would do what I had to do. "Do you really want me to try that?"

"Do you want me to throw you through a wall like I did the last time I was down here?" I shot back, smirking because as strong as Eric was, I always could channel just enough power to fight against him if I needed to."Because I will."

"You wouldn't dare." He stated, walking up close to me to the point where I could feel his body brush against mine. "I would subdue you if I had to. It's just to keep you safe."

"I know, and I love that you get like this just to protect me but at some point you need to ease up on the protection and go strong on the kicking ass on those who have hurt us." I told him, hoping he could see the smile on my lips. "If we don't fight back, then we will never get to be at peace. And I want peace with you. And if you love me, like really love me, then you will stick by me on this."

"I don't like it and I don't want to agree to it..." Eric began, his fingers traveling up my arms until they reached my shoulders. "...but I will do it for you."

"It will turn out ok, I promise you that. Nothing bad is going to happen. At least not in the way of death." I assured him, having more then enough faith in this outcome for the two of us. "And we will have that forever that we both want. We just need to take care of these witches first."

"I'm going to hold you to that." He pointed out, his hands going to my face and I knew he was going to try and kiss me but I ducked away from him, moving away and hearing him growl out in frustration. "I haven't touched you in days and when I try and make a move, you shut me down."

"Because we haven't talk about what happened with us a few days ago when I told you the truth." I explained, reaching up to touch the barely healed fang marks on my neck and looked in the direction of where he as standing. "And until we come to an understanding then we can't be how we were."

"I would say I'm sorry but I say that so much that it has lost all meaning for us." Eric stated, moving around to the bed and sat down on the edge of it with his arms on his knees. "I'm not proud of how I acted and I can't justify hurting you just because I was mad but I know I feel remorse."

"So do I." I told him, his head snapping up in surprise to look at me and I laughed. "You're not the only one who needs to apologize. I owe you a very big apology for keeping the truth from you for so long. It wasn't right even though I thought I was protecting you. I love you and I should have had enough respect for you to tell you what was going on. But I didn't, so I am partially responsible for our estrangement this time. And I want to make it right."

"Then don't lie to me again." Eric grumbled, still harboring feelings over my mistake as he should because I knew now that I had been wrong for keeping it from him. "No matter how I react to something you tell me, its won't nearly be as bad as my reaction when I find out you lie."

"No more lying. The truth will always win out from now on." I nodded, knowing he could see me. I tucked my hair behind my ears and went to sit down on the bed neck to him, placing my hands in my lap and looking straight ahead into the darkness. "But Eric, if this plan works our and we both end up living, then something has to change. If we want to be together then we have to fix how we are with each other."

"Meaning..."

"You can't run out on me every time something happens. You can't disappear every time a fight breaks out with us because we are always going to fight,but being in a relationship means you can't always walk away whenever things get tough. It doesn't work that way." I explained with a sigh, glad that I was finally getting a chance to say all this out loud to him in a way I had never done before. But I was right when I said something had to change. Because we didn't have all that much time left together and I couldn't go into war without fixing this. "We have to work through this. We can't run away."

"I can't help it." He admitted, his voice directed at the floor instead of at me. "It's my natural instinct to run."

"Trust me, I get it. I myself have done the same thing. So we both have bad habits to work on." I confessed to him, reaching over and finding his wrist in the dark and circled my fingers around it. "But we can't do that to each other anymore. We can't hurt each other by abandoning the other in their darkest hour."

"I don't want to hurt you any more. And I can't pretend that I will be perfect because I never will be."

"I don't ever expect you to be perfect and I don't want you to expect me to be perfect." I squeezed his wrist gently, feeling a lightness start to spread out from my chest. "But we have to try harder then we are now. If we want to be together forever and then eventually get married..."

"Really?" Eric sat up excitedly at that word.

"Yes, really." I shook my head with a smirk. "If that's what we want in the end, then we need to stand strong through the best and worst times or else it will never work out."

"You're right about that. Loving one another means sticking together through everything, not just the good stuff." He sighed, his hands reaching up and touching my face before he sighed again. "I'm all in if you are."

"You always say the most charming things when it comes down to the wire." I smiled, releasing my hold on his arm and placing my hand son either side of his face, finally feeling like we were both turning over a new leaf and I couldn't wait to start this new chapter in our lives. Once this battle was over, I never wanted to part from him again. I pressed my forehead against him and said. "When it comes to you Eric Northman, I'll always be all in."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

"OK, we are all here. What's this about?"

Eric looked at Allie and she looked at him with her teeth clenched as they sat at the head of the table in the dinning room surrounded by all the people they had called here to show up in order to tell them the plan. Godric had been the first to arrive, followed by Pam and the Salvatores and then at last Sookie and Bill, all of them in the dark about why they were being asked to come here for a meeting. Allie had asked him to send out this order because now that she had decided what to do, she wanted to tell everyone and it would just be easier to do it all at once. But after they had all arrived and were sitting there staring at her, it was like her courage had frozen up and she hadn't been able to say anything for a good 10 minutes. He would have charged ahead and did it for her but she had warned him not to do that because this was her idea and it was her responsibility to tell everyone. So it wasn't until Godric broke the silence that she seemed able to pick up the conversation and pull through to the reason we they were here.

"So, we all know there is a war about to happen and that eventually we are all going to have to fight. But that's not the reason I wanted to talk to everyone." Allie said to the group, her hands clasped together on the table top. "I had an epiphany last night, one that gave me hope that I may not have to die after all."

"That's not possible." Godric was the first to say something, his face showing his doubt. "Louie told us that the only way for this war to be over was for you to die."

"He thought that was the way because it was the only solution at the time, but when I met him in the woods he said that there was always a way out of a situation and I just had to find it and I think I did." Allison replied, letting out a shaky breath as she looked at each one of their faces. "What if I reached out to the witches and pretended like I was going to give myself up to them? That would get them all in one place and then we can kill them all. Then the entire coven would be gone and so would their mission to come after me. It would all be over if I used myself as bait to draw them..."

"No fucking way." Godric blurted out, not even allowing her to finish speak. "You're not doing it."

"I agree, it's too dangerous." Stefan cut in, shaking his head furiously on the other end of the table. "You can't use yourself as bait. It's insanity."

"It's idiotic and suicidal." Bill argued, his calm face turning dark as he too glared over at Allie. "You are crazy if you are even thinking of going through with this."

"We won't let you do this, no matter how well you have it planned out." Damon frowned, looking intensely at her in the same way he use to when he had been here fighting for her heart. "I will tie you up if I have to."

"And I will help!" Pam quickly raised her hand with a smirk. "That could be fun watching her struggle."

"Allie you are not doing it, case closed." Sookie spoke up from between Bill and Pam, her eyes looking directly into Allison's face protectively. "It's just not going to happen this way."

"Well I'm glad you all took some time to think it over before you reacted." Allie replied once everyone had voiced their opinions on the subject and her young face twisted into a frown. "I get that you guys are worried..."

"No, you don't get that we are worried." Godric protested, looking more tense and aggravated then Eric had ever seen him before. "If you did know how worried we would get then you never would have even considered this stupid idea."

"Godric, cool it." Eric found himself warning, not liking how his maker was talking to her. Godric then turned his eyes on him and Eric was actually taken aback by the intensity of the anger directed at him.

"Eric, shut up." Godric hissed, his tone as icy as the most evil of vampires, a sound that Eric had never really seen present in his maker's voice. "She's being ridiculous again and I wouldn't be surprised if this was just another way to try and get herself killed and she's just disguising it as a way out."

"This is different. It's a way for us all to win and be happy." Allie said, looking between to two of them apprehensively before she went on. "It's the only way to get the coven, the entire coven in one place. Pretending to offer myself is the one solution to draw them out so we can attack. Nothing else would get them all to come. And if we figure this out and structure it to a t, then there is no way it can't work."

"We're dealing with witches, Allison. Witches who can possible control us and our minds. We would have to act quickly if we have a chance in hell of making this work." Bill snapped, shaking his head in doubt as he looked at the others. "This is too damn risky. So much could go wrong if we do something out of line. It could end very, very badly."

"I know that, but unless we all want me to die without even trying something else then we need to do this." Allison shot back, her green eyes filling up with a determination that Eric hadn't seen in a while. She was getting feisty and despite the seriousness of the situation, he was really liking it. "And if that's the case, if you all think its just ok to let me die at the right moment without fighting back, then I will go out right now and find a willing vampire to drain me dry."

"Like hell you are." Damon growled, looking like he was about to rise from his seat. "I would stop you before you even took two steps out the door."

"You guys aren't even thinking that it could be a good plan." Allie shot a look at all of them. "It could work, you know it can."

"Bill's right, it's too risky." Stefan sighed, not one of the ones who was wearing an expression of anger and worry. "It too many ways of going wrong."

"It gets things exciting though...and let's face it, you two boys look like you could use excitement." Pam pointed out to Stefan and Damon who both glared back at her, and it didn't even faze her. "I don't think it would be a bad idea to at least think it over."

"There is nothing to think over, she's not doing it." Sookie spoke up strongly and waved her hands to show that this conversation was over as she stood up. "And I think we better leave before this ridiculous conversation continues."

"You're being unreasonable." Allie called out as her cousin and Bill got up from the table and began to head towards the door. "And in the end this is my choice, you don't have a say in it."

"Whatever Allison." Sookie rolled her eyes as the two of them left the house with a resounding slam if the front door.

"This isn't just about you, this is about all of us." Stefan told her, him and his brother being the ones to get up and leave next. "Your choice affects us all in different ways and if one things goes wrong then we could all get hurt. And no one is willing to risk that."

"You're not using that hot little head of yours." Damon smirked, purposely saying this in Eric's direction just to be a smart ass. "And it is going to end up destroying you if you're not careful."

"You need to see the bigger picture." Allie tried to tell them, but the vampire brothers were out the door as quickly as Bill and Sookie were and soon it was only Godric and Pam left with them. Allie looked up at him nervously, knowing that it was Godric who was going to present the most trouble. "Godric, please just..."

"Just what? Just listen to you while you try to convince me that this fucking idea of yours is in the best interest of everyone? I don't think so." Godric snapped, his calm eyes turning to dark stones of anger that he just wanted to cast and it took everything in Eric to not jump across the table at his maker. "You are not thinking clearly Allison, and I won't stick around to hear any more of this."

And then out went Godric, leaving him and Allison with the only person who hadn't showed any resistance to this talk. Pam was still sitting in her chair, her posture as relaxed as if they hadn't just spoken about a plan that could endanger their lives. And Eric shouldn't have been surprised because his progeny was always up for anything that involved a fight and that made him proud.

"Soooo...every one else is gone..." Pam began hopefully, looking between them with a smile. "Should we do a threesome or not?"

"Or not." Allison answered with a roll of her eyes, trying to remain serious but it was clear that she was amused by this attempt to crack down the tension in the air and began laughing. "Oh Pam, what would we do without your witty comebacks?"

"You would be extremely bored...that's for sure."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"That went so extremely well." I muttered to myself as I stood at the stove stirring a slowly boiling pot of pasta, and thought about how fast things had gone downhill with that conversation I had tried to make us all have. To say it hadn't gone well was an understatement.

I knew they were going to be against it at first. But I thought it might follow the same path that Eric had been on, resistant in the beginning but then accepting it when they saw my side of things. But it hadn't happened that way at all. I had never seen such hatred flying around just from one idea, ok one very crazy and potentially stupid idea, but still, they were reacting in the same way as if I had suggested really giving myself up to the witches. I knew there were risks and dangers involved,but going to war was just as risky as my idea and yet they were acting as if it was worse then this battle we were facing. I mean, we had to draw out the witches in some way to be able to fight them. So why not make sure they all show up so I would still have the chance to live after this battle? It made sense to me but I suppose it would take the a little longer to realize that.

"Did I ever tell you how extremely sexy it is to see you wearing one of my shirts?" Eric's voice came from the room behind me and I turned to find him leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed tightly over his chest and a smirk on his lips. "And while you're cooking nonetheless, even sexier."

"You are such a man when you say those kind of things." I laughed, feeling more lighthearted then I expected to be after the way things ended an hour ago. But Eric and I were back on track so that helped keep me more happy for the rest of the night then I would have been if I had to have faced that meeting without him by my side. "But it does make me feel good so I approve of this already."

"Well thank god for that." He said just as I turned back to the stove to stick the wooden spoon into the boiling pot again. I heard him walking across the tiled floor and then his strong arms came wrapping around my waist before I could even turn my head to look at him. I felt an old kind of smile start to tug at my lips when his hands began rubbing their way up my body through the thin fabric of the t-shirt I was wearing. I momentarily paused and leaned back against his broad chest, missing the way he and I use to be around each other. It felt like so long since it had last happened that it made sparks immediately shoot out across my skin just from a simple touch. Eric started laughing at my response and leaned over my shoulder to say. "Someone seems to be in the mood."

"Yea, in the mood to make myself dinner, which is kind of hard when you're trying to cop a feel." I told him with a smirk, pushing his hands away when they started moving up towards my chest. I moved around him, walking over to the counter and picked up the knife I had left on the cutting board and began to finish chopping up the onion I had started to cut when I put the pasta on. "And you're getting a little ahead of yourself. I think you got your signals crossed."

"Oh I don't think so." He replied huskily, and then even more quickly then he had been just moments ago, he was back behind me with his fingers on my hips pulling me back against him. "I think I read the signs very clearly."

"Or just how you wanted to read them." I shot back, moving back up to the island and went back to chopping even though Eric was making it extremely hard when he as touching me like this. "I'm kind of busy here Eric."

"So am I." He said quietly in my ear, his mouth then dropping down to suck on my bare shoulder when the collar of the shirt had slipped off. "You are so delectable."

"Yea, I know." I smirked, playing along with this game because I wanted to prove that I could resist him longer then he thought I could. So even though his lips were traveling across the back of my neck and his fingers were slipping up underneath my shirt, I was able to hold off from giving in to him. "You are very frisky tonight."

"I'm always frisky and you love it." He sneered, his hands moving over my ribcage, touching me so softly that it was almost ticklish. He was pressed against me so there was no space between ours bodies and it was taking all the strength in me to not turn around and have him take me right there. So I kept resisting, allowing him to touch me wherever he wished. I nearly lost it when his hands slipped up under my bra and his fingers were rolling my nipples in such a way that I could feel a heat begin to spread between my legs. And Eric knew it too, because his hands left my breasts and I felt his lips near my ear again. "You know you don't want me to stop."

"I...I..don't know what you're talking about." I was a bumbling idiot as my hand dropped the knife on the island's tiled top and it landed with a loud clatter as I gripped the edges of the counter, squeezing my eyes shut to control my self. I felt Eric's left arm encircle my waist while his right hand went back up under my shirt like it did before. But instead of going towards my chest, his fingers began walking their way downward below my waist. He didn't even get very far before my knees started knocking together and I whispered "Oh my god."

Eric didn't even say anything in response and just moved me closer to the counter so I was practically bending over it when his hand slipped underneath the lace waistband of my panties and moved down to the space between my legs where the heat was getting more intense with each brush of his hand. I could barely contain the shaking that took over my body just now and my thigh muscles were squeezing so tightly in a desperate attempt to keep his hand as close to me as possible. But the next second brought him even closer and I felt his fingers dip lower before they suddenly slipped into me, making me cry out in pleasure as I fell forward across the island top. Eric's arm never left its spot from around my waist as he leaned over me from behind, his fingers twisting and teasing me while they worked his magic. I felt the coolness from the tile on my forehead as his fingers continued to stroke me, bring out a fire that could have scorched me on the inside, but I was in such a state of bliss right now that I wouldn't have cared. I felt Eric moving himself against me from behind, his hand never stopped moving between my legs as his lips met my shaking shoulders. Everything was building now and shaking when Eric quickened his pace and it wasn't long before I felt a release and I was riding this delicious high of pleasure and love, and it wasn't just my own. I could feel Eric's satisfaction and his own happiness as our blood bonds opened and everything was flowing freely between us, nothing off limits as I hit my climax and began to come down from it. I felt the strength leave my body just as his fingers removed themselves from inside of me and I kept myself bent over the counter until I could collect myself again. Eric's hand and arm left me and I heard him step back, probably waiting for me to turn around to see the smirk on his face. And when I was able to breathe normally and I was sure I could stand on my own without the aid of the counter, that's when I stood up and halfheartedly went to straighten my clothes and hair before I turned around to look at him. His expression was exactly how I imagined it to be.

"You are welcome by the way." He said, smiling smugly as if I was going to thank him for helping me with a chore and not for just giving me an incredible orgasm. He crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side with a devilish grin. "Are you going to say anything?"

"You...you...you are just insanely sexy when you do things like that." I couldn't stop myself from smiling like turned on teenager when I looked at him and he just looked so hot standing there that I had to immediately walk over and wrap my arms around him with a happy sigh. "This is exactly why I keep coming back to you."

"I knew there was a valid reason." He retorted with another grin as his hands slid down my back. "And now I think you need to return the favor."

"Oh...gladly."

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"You know, I never did end up eating my dinner." Allison pointed out to him as they sat on the floor together in front of the fire as they had been doing for the last few hours since leaving the kitchen. She looked up from the book she had been reading and sent him a smile that reflected the serenity that he was feeling through his bond to her. "But I don't think I care at all."

"I think it's because we were doing so much more amusing activities that took up our time." Eric smirked, his hand trailing up her bare legs that weren't covered by the shirt she was wearing. "And I think the end result was much more satisfactory then filling your stomach."

"Oh yea it was." She nodded, shyly grinning as she tossed the book aside and laced her fingers through his. "In fact, I think we should repeat ….."

Her answer was cut off at the sound of the front door slamming open and shut all of a sudden and a pair of feet came running across the tiled hallway and right into the doorway of the living room. There wasn't even a chance to think it could be an intruder because they both recognized the face that was now looking at them and Allison's mouth dropped open in surprise at this vampire's sudden appearance, considering he had left the house in such a rage just hours earlier.

"Godric? What are you doing here?" She asked, getting to her feet just as his maker walked further into the room with a blank look on his face but his eyes were still blazing just as strongly as they had before. That didn't faze Allison as she walked up to him with a welcoming smile. "Did you need to talk to me?"

"No. This has nothing to do with you." Godric told her through gritted as he looked around her and narrowed his eyes at Eric. "It's you that I need to address."

"Me? What did I do?" Eric asked jokingly, getting to his feet as Allison looked between them in confusion. "Because for once I have actually behaved myself."

"Oh I wouldn't say that." Godric hissed, sounding completely unlike himself as a wave of fury seemed to rise up in his eyes as he stepped towards Eric with his arms crossed. "Because judging from your actions..."

"What actions? I haven't done anything." Eric snapped, already feeling on the defensive and he didn't even know what Godric was referring to. "Don't start getting pissed at me until we both know what the hell you're talking about.

"What else would I be referring to but the crazy idea that we spoke about earlier this evening?" Godric retorted, his eyes turning dark so fast that Allison stepped out of the line of fire, leaving Godric a clear path to glare at him. "How could you be so moronic as to agree to this?"

"I didn't agree to it, not at first but she managed to make sense of it to me and I don't think its such a bad idea. Dangerous yes, but not impossible." Eric answered honestly, not even bothering to sugarcoat it. "It's not the most solid idea but we can fine tune it."

"We shouldn't have to because it is stupid in the first place." Godric shouted, raising his voice higher then he normally did even for being angry. Eric knew that Godric was only speaking to him like this because he was just as worried as they all were. But that was hard to remember with the way he was throwing his anger around. "You never should have let her convince you that it was ok. You should have been stronger and told her no. Now she thinks its ok to put this into action, all because you didn't put up enough of a fight."

"Godric, please don't yell at him. This isn't his fault." Allison spoke up, trying to diffuse the situation in that innocent way of hers but she only succeeded in having the anger turned on her.

"And you!" Godric turned around, now sending his fury at her. " How could you be so selfish and stupid?"

"Excuse me?" Allison was clearly taken aback by his tone.

"Eric never would have agree to this idea if you hadn't brought it up in the first place.." Godric shot at her, looking back at him furiously before returning to Allison. "It was bad enough that you were considering it, you could have kept it to yourself because you know it was stupid. But you just had to say it to Eric and now he is on board with something that could wind up meaning death for all of us. I hope you are fucking proud of yourself."

Allison went silent after that, not even making a noise when her arms dropped down to her side and her eyes drifted away from Godric who was standing only a few feet away from her, looking like a rhino ready to charge. But then she simply stepped to the side and without looking at either of them, she walked out of the room and headed for the staircase, leaving them to stare after her as she disappeared to the second floor and into her room. As soon as it was quiet again, Eric started walking forward and as soon as he reached his maker, he threw his arm back and punched Godric square in the face, almost knocking the older vampire off his feet with that single blow.

"Was it absolutely necessary for you to talk to her like that?" He demanded as soon as Godric was looking at him.

"Was it necessary for you to punch me in the face like that?" he asked back, moving his jaw with his hand. "That almost hurt."

"Go apologize before I have her rescind your invitation to this house." Eric had no qualms about threatening his maker, especially after the way he had just spoken to the woman he loved. He pointed to the staircase and said. "Go."

"You know I don't have to follow your orders, right?" Godric questioned with a raised eyebrow even though he had already begun moving towards the stairs. "That's not how it works."

"But you will do it and make it sound good if you want her to forgive you." Eric stated with a withering stare, watching as his maker almost laughed before he shot up to the second floor. The former viking groaned very loudly before throwing himself down on the couch and hoped that whatever Godric said would be good enough to fix this problem before it got too big.

But then again, he wouldn't mind having another reason to punch his maker in the face again.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few minutes later<span>_

I should have known I wouldn't be left alone for long. Especially not after having a two thousand year old vampire yell at me for no reason. I had barely been in my room for more then 5 minutes when there was a knock on my door, and the vampire in question walked right on in before I could tell him not to.

"We need to talk." Godric stated, coming around the door quickly and shutting it with his back right up against it as if I was going to attempt to leave before he could say anything. "I need to apologize for what I said."

"Oh really?" I narrowed my eyes, my hands curling into fists down at my sides as I looked at him. He looked like my friend but the words that had come out of his mouth just minutes ago had been hurtful and unlike his character. Sure Godric had gotten mad at me before, but for some reason this time was worse then the others. We were so close to war and he had been cruel to me when I was just trying to help. "You want to apologize for being a complete jerk when all I was trying to do was find a solution to our problem? Ok, then. Go ahead and try and make it worth my time."

"Don't be like this Allison." Godric began to beg, rubbing his hand over his jaw like it was bothering him as he set his now calm eyes on me. "You know I didn't mean to be so horrible."

"Do I know that? Because I don't really recognize the Godric standing in front of me." I threw back at him, more annoyed then angry at the moment. I knew exactly where his words had been coming from, but lately Godric had been making a habit of abandoning his old techniques for dealing with things and was now allowing himself to be overridden by emotion that made him say things that he wouldn't have said if he had just stuck to the calm way of doing things. "I like the old way you use to handle things. Remaining calm until you took everything in and now you just fly off the cuff and yell at me like Eric use to do. And I don't like it."

"Neither do I and I am so very sorry for speaking to you the way I did." Godric said, looking shamed before he looked down at the floor as he walked towards me. "I only said the things I said because I am so worried. We have enough to deal with when we go to battle. But add in the fact of letting you first face these witches on your own just so we can strike at the right moment is even more to worry about. I can't bear the thought of anything happening to you or Eric or anyone. I don't think you're stupid or selfish. I was only saying those things out of my own fear and concern."

"And you expect me to take that as it is and let it go like I always do. Just because you were scared and worried." I snapped, my annoyance rising up and I knew I was right about to lash out. "That's no excuse bitch!"

And then I did something very stupid. I don't even know why I did it, but I drew my leg back and kicked it forward, thinking I was going to shove my foot between Godric's legs and make him hurt for a while. But as soon as my foot connected, I was the one hurting. Because kicking a vampire below the belt was a big no no, and it made a sharp, throbbing pain explode all through out my foot as I felt the familiar crunch of broken bones right before I fell to the floor crying in agony. Godric couldn't even begin to take a move towards me when the door flew open and in ran Eric, looking ready to murder someone.

"I told you to apologize, not hurt her." Eric yelled at his maker, walking over and picking me up off the floor and sat me on the edge of the bed as I clutched my leg to my chest. "What the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Godric exclaimed, looking so outraged over the idea that he could physically hurt me that I almost wanted to laugh.

"Eric, he didn't do anything, I promise." I hissed through my tightly clenched teeth as I reached out for his arm. "But I do need you to heal me."

"What exactly happened?" He demanded, looking from me to Godric as if he was still thinking Godric was responsible for my whimpers of pain.

"I broke my foot trying to kick Godric in the balls." I grumbled, watching in amusement as Eric's eyes lit up almost proudly at my statement. "And that obviously didn't end up hurting him as much as it hurt me."

"You should have just accepted my apology instead of trying to inflict physical pain on me." Godric pointed out, earning a glare from both Eric and me. He quickly backtracked, taking on a more serious tone as Eric brought his wrist to his mouth. "I am sorry though, for what I said and for unintentionally breaking your foot."

"Ok, ok, I accept your apology. Excuse me." I took Eric's wrist when he offered it to me, allowing his blood to slide into my mouth quickly as I sucked at the wound. I felt the pain become a dull throb and then disappear entirely as the bones in my foot began to fuse back together. It still hurt a little bit so I kept drinking his blood as he stood at my side, his hand on shoulder as I took enough to feel my bones heal completely before I was able to finally pull away. I looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." He smirked at me quickly, winking before dropping his arm to the side and turning to face Godric. "And thank you for your sad attempt at an apology."

"Eric, I love you, but don't make things worse." I warned him, placing my hands on his chest as I jumped down to the floor, amazing at how strong I now felt. I sent him a look, silently begging him to back off and he did. I was grateful for that because I didn't want another fight erupting between these two. There had already been too many disagreements tonight and I didn't want to sit through another. But first I had to make something clear to Godric. "Look, I don't like how you talked to me. And I wish I had the strength to hold a grudge against you, because I know I cave too easily when it comes to fights. But I don't like being mad at you. And that's why I will forgive you. But if you ever talk to me in that manner again, then I will never talk to you. Ever again."

"You are right and I will try and refrain from being an asshole." Godric looked up and there was the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips. "So are we ok?"

"Yea we're ok."

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"I cannot believe you tried to kick Godric in the balls." Eric said to me as we sat with Godric in the kitchen, me drinking coffee and them drinking true blood. After Godric and I had put our fight behind us, we had decided to all hang out together and ended up here in the kitchen laughing about the stupid things that had occurred tonight. "What were you thinking?"

"I can't believe you though you could get away with punching your maker in the face. Now that is unbelievable." I pointed out, hardly daring to believe any vampire would have the audacity to strike their maker. I couldn't picture Eric and Godric physically coming to blows. They may disagree but they had never hit each other, at least not when I was around. And the idea of that happening was comical to me. "And what's even more surprising is that Godric didn't even hit you back."

"I've dealt with enough of his unpredictable reactions over the last one thousand years that I can just let them slide." Godric chuckled, taking a sip of his blood while smiling at the two of us. "I just hope you can exercise the same kind of patience with him for a lifetime."

"Hey!" Eric exclaimed, pretending to look offended. "I'm not that bad."

"Of course you're not." I assured him, patting his arm lightly while sending Godric a look that made us both dissolve into laughter. "None of us are perfect, that's for..."

"Allie!" Sookie's voice suddenly cut me off as I faintly heard the front door shut and the sound of running feet coming towards the kitchen just a minute before my cousin appeared in the doorway, shocking me not only with her sudden presence but also because Bill was standing at her side and they both were wearing the same ecstatic expression. I barely jumped up from my seat before she entered the room and began talking. "Ok good, you two are here as well. That's good because this an announcement I have to make to all of you."

"What do you mean announcement?" Eric asked, glancing at Bill who didn't offer any explanation, signifying that he and Sookie had worked this out before they came here. "What's going on?"

"Ok, we were just talking not even an hour ago about how this war is coming up so quickly and that it could really go any way." Sookie said quickly, practically waving her hands in the air and looking like she was trying to land planes. "And that with our futures so uncertain, that we don't want to waste any time putting off things that we were going to do any way."

"Our future is not uncertain." I protested with a frown, walking around the table towards her. "We're all going to live and be happy. So what's with the gloom and doom tone?"

"I'm just saying that we don't know what could happen and I don't want to regret anything no matter the outcome. So Bill and I made a decision." Sookie explained, grabbing both my arms tightly as she pulled me towards her. "We decided to move up the date of out wedding...to tomorrow night."

"What?" I shouted, a cheesy grin breaking out across my face as I grabbed her and together we started jumping around the kitchen like we were teenagers again. Holy crap, she and Bill were getting married tomorrow! In less then 24 hours they were going to be finally fulfilling a commitment to each other that they had been forced to delay for years. And now it was coming true and I couldn't have been more happy. "I can't believe this. It's so exciting."

"I know it's sudden, but we wanted to do this before it got too close to battle and just in case..." Sookie didn't have to say it but we all knew what she had been about to say. Just in case either of them didn't make it. I was glad she hadn't said it out loud because I would have started crying. But she reigned it in and just shook it away, turning to face Eric and she asked. "Is it still ok to use your house since its the safest?"

"Well, now that you mention it..." Eric began to jokingly take back his offer, but Godric must have elbowed him in the ribs because he started to smirk and just waved his hand. "I'm kidding, yes its ok."

"Oh my god, I can't believe its finally happening. You guys are actually getting married." I squealed, hugging her tightly and for the first time in weeks and really in months, I felt like something really good was finally coming out of this whole mess with the witches. It may have been from a place of fear of the future, but they had been waiting to do this for years and now they could. And it was more then I could hope for. I squeezed her tightly again. "I guess good things really can come out of a bad situation."

**A/N: Yes, it is finally happening, the wedding of Sookie and Bill and the entire thing takes place in the next chapter. So please review and I will update really fast**


	45. Life is beautiful

**A/N:The song used in this chapter is "Life is beautiful" By Vega 4. I take no credit for this awesome song.**

**Chapter 45 Life is beautiful**

_When you run into my arms_

_We steal a perfect moment_

_Let the monsters see you smile_

_Let them see you smiling_

_Life is beautiful_

_But its complicated_

_We barely make it_

_We don't need to understand_

_There are miracles, miracles_

"I don't think I have ever seen you smile this much." Eric said to me that night as we laid together in bed after everyone had left and just looked at each other, almost like we were trying to memorize each others features before the night turned to day. And it was Eric who had broken the silence between us by pointing out the grin I hadn't even realized had been on my face. I turned to look at him and smiled even more when he brought his fingers up to my face and said. "You are so incredibly beautiful when you smile."

"So what are you saying, that I'm not beautiful when I'm not smiling?" I asked jokingly, pretending to be offended but as usual I couldn't keep it up and just dissolved into a fit of giggles as I rolled over on my side to face him. "I can't help but smile tonight. I'm just in that good of a mood."

"Could it be that I just gave you a mind blowing orgasm?" He suggested with one of his devious smirks as he ran his large hand down my bare arm, reminding me that we still had not gotten dressed.

"That was pretty good but it's not the only reason I am smiling." I felt my cheeks flame up as I remembered the passionate hour of sex we had just been through and it took every piece of strength I had to push it out of my head and not dwell on it. "I was just thinking about what Sookie told us about her plans and I can't help but feel gratitude towards you for what you did."

"What I did?" Eric's forehead wrinkled in confusion as his fingers ran through the ends of my long hair. "I didn't do anything."

"Actually you did, you're letting Sookie and Bill get married in your house. The old Eric Northman would never have been that generous, so it's just proof that you have changed into a better man." I placed my hand on his face, running my thumb across his cold cheek as I looked into the eyes of a vampire who no one ever would consider as nice. But I knew better and I knew the real Eric. "And I like when you do these little things. It's a nice contrast to how you usually are. I'm just grateful that you did something that you consider not a big deal, loaning them your house..."

"It's not my house, it's our house." He cut in, his hand going to the back of my head to hold me in place, as if I was going to move away after hearing him say something that sweet. "This is your house too, it's your home."

"You really can be sweet sometimes." I smiled, honestly touched by his statement as I propped myself up on my elbows. "And I have to confess, that when you are like this, I do think about what it would be like if the situation was reversed and we were the ones about to get married."

"You think about that? What it would be like to be married to me?" He asked, sending a smirk my way, showing that he had let go of his anger and hurt over that night. "Even though you turned down my proposal?"

"You know I turned you down for a very good reason, but that doesn't mean I don't think about it sometimes." I explained, finding truth behind my statement. Even though I said no to him, I did think from time to time about what it would be like to call him my husband. To be married to someone like him and what that would be like. Would it differ from the relationship we shared now? Would it be better? I looked at Eric curiously. "Do you ever think about it?"

"Sometimes, I do. And that in itself is out of character for me. I never think about the future and I certainly never thought of marriage. I wasn't ever looking to settle down with one woman, but you changed all of that." Eric answered honestly with a shrug before he lost the serious expression and smirked. "We could always get married tomorrow after Sookie and Bill and find out what it's like for sure."

"Nice try Casanova." I laughed, rolling my eyes at his suggestion and touched his face with a happy sigh. "But we're sticking to our original plan of waiting until after the war is over."

"This is why I hate it when I let you make all the decisions." Eric groaned, running his long fingers through his short blond strands before also pushing himself up onto one elbow. "If it were left entirely up to you, then we would never get married."

"Oh stop it, we will get married. I promise you that." I placed both hands on his face and leaned forward to brush my lips against his, making sure to put conviction behind the kiss. And when I pulled away, I leaned my head against his and said in a quiet voice. "Someday we'll know."

"You can be such a little tease." Eric laughed, grabbing my chin in his palm so we could kiss once more. The tip of his tongue ran along my lower lip, both exciting me and making me feel loved by the physical attraction we had. He kissed me on the end of my nose before he pulled back to look at me and our eyes met. "But your word is law for now. So until someday comes..."

"Someday sounds pretty wonderful."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next day<span>_

"So...remind me again why I am letting you cut and high-light my hair?" Sookie asked me the next afternoon as we sat inside the expansive bathroom in Eric's house, preparing to freshen up her blonde locks but she kept on shooting me a look that said she doubted my abilities not to screw it up the day of her wedding. "I mean, something always goes wrong on a wedding day and having my hair cut not by a professional is just asking for trouble."

"It's a trim Sookie, less then an inch is being cut off. It will be fine." I assured her, resisting the urge to roll my eyes as I gently pulled the comb through her long, damp hair. "And as for the high-lights, there are directions in the box and it's not like I haven't done this before."

"I know, but the universe always has it in for brides when they are about to get married. And since there is nothing else that we have planned except for the minister, something will have to go wrong and this is the only other thing I can think of that could end in disaster." Sookie shot back, sounding exactly how I thought she would the day she and Bill were set to get married. She winced as the comb hit a snag and inched away from me. "Um, hello there is a head under there."

"Sorry, your hair is just always super knotty after you get out of the shower." I apologized, pulling the comb even more gently through her long strands and laughed. "It's weird that this day has finally arrived, after all this time and all the drama."

"I know what you mean. It just feels like it was being put off for every little thing. And now that it's here, it doesn't even really seem real." She stated, taking the comb from me and smoothing out her own hair while I walked over to the counter to lean against it. "I mean, I'm getting married tonight. My whole life is about to change."

"I know." I nodded, crossing my arms as I looked at my cousin and thought how true her words were. Things were going to change once night fell in a few hours. She was going to be married and it was no longer going to just be her and me as a family. She was going to be her own family with Bill and while we would always be family, it just wasn't going to be the same. And sometimes I wondered if this is why she kept allowing the wedding to be pushed back without fighting harder for it. "Hey Sookie, can I ask you something without you taking it personally?"

"You know you can always ask me anything." Sookie told me, looking up with her head cocked to the side. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you are ok with this." I explained, trying to figure out the best way to say what I was thinking. "Are you really ready to do this?"

"Allie, if I wasn't sure or ready to be getting married then I wouldn't have suggested we do this now. I would have put it off again despite the whole witch situation." She commented with a sly smile as she finished combing her hair and set her hands down into her lap. "Trust me when I say that I am ready for this. You know I wouldn't be agreeing to it if I wasn't 100% sure."

"I know or...at least I know now." I shook my head at myself as I reached into a drawer to pull out a pair of scissors before walking over to where she was sitting in the middle of the room and tossed her a towel to shield her clothes. "I mean, I love Bill and I know he will make a great addition to our family. But you are my family first and foremost and I just wanted you to know that if you decided not to go through with this just yet, then I would support you."

"I have no doubts, so you don't need to worry." She said, wrapping the towel around her shoulders. "But if you don't focus completely on my hair then I will be the one worrying."

"You are going crazy just like a bride should be." I replied jokingly, taking the comb she handed to me so I could section off her hair before I started cutting. "But to be honest, I don't think Bill would care if I chopped all your hair off. He might even like it."

"Do it and I will kill you." She threatened, sending me a dark look that said she wasn't taking anything as a joke. "You know I get weird if my hair is cut any shorter then a few inches."

"Sookie, you're weird any way. So cutting your hair won't change that." I laughed, dodging her shoe when it came flying back at my head. "Just kidding. Sort of."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"Wow, my hair looks fabulous." Sookie said with a surprisingly happy tone in her voice as she leaned in close to the mirror in the downstairs bathroom and ran her fingers through her now dried and slightly shortened hair. "And you did a good job with those high-lights."

"I told you it would be fine, you just worry too much." Allison spoke up from the doorway, waving at her to follow and the two left the room and walked through the quiet hallway to the kitchen. "I wouldn't let you look anything less then amazing on your wedding day."

"Alright, alright you have made your point." Sookie rolled her eyes at her cousin's teasing and walked over to the island counter and jumped up onto a stool while Allie. "I do look awesome thanks to you."

"And you didn't have to pay me, which is another good reason you didn't go to a salon." Allison pointed out with a shrug and reached into the refrigerator to grab two bottles of ice tea. "But then again, if you were doing a big ceremony like you had originally planned, then you would have had a professional do it."

"Oh don't go down that road, because I know that's where you're heading." Sookie immediately waved her hand when she caught wind of Allison turning the conversation down a guilty path. She knew her cousin still felt bad over the big wedding being canceled but Sookie didn't blame her at all. That decision was made with everyone in mind, not just Allison. Because they all knew that if the big event had taken place and there were tons of people there, then the witches could have easily found out about it and more then just their group would have been hurt. So in order to avoid it, a sacrifice had to be made. And honestly, it wasn't that big a deal. Their lives were more important then a wedding. And down the line, she and Bill could renew their vows and do it up big. But for now, this was what they had to take. "Allison, I told you that this is not a big deal to me and you need to stop making yourself feel guilty."

"I know, I just feel bad that you're not getting exactly what you want." Allison handed her an ice tea and leaned with her elbows on the island top. "You're one of my best friends, and you should get..."

"I am getting what I want. I'm getting Bill as my husband, that's all I really want. Whether its a big ceremony or a small one, the end result is still the same. So I don't need a big wedding." Sookie made a point of putting certainty behind that statement so Allie knew it was all good. But then an idea hit her and she couldn't help but voice it. "But if a big wedding is what you want to happen, then just wait till after the war. Then you and Eric can have the big ceremony."

"Oh my god." Allison hid her face in her hands, clearly embarrassed over this. "You are the second person to say that to me in less then 24 hours."

"Really?" Sookie smirked, knowing exactly who would have brought up marriage to Allie. "Let me guess, it was Eric."

"Yup, he made a comment that we should get married tonight after you and Bill did." Allison lifted her face, her cheeks flamed red and her lips in a tight line. "But of course I said no. I told him I wanted to stand by what we said about waiting until after the battle and that's what we're going to do."

"Sooo...you're not tempted to sway from that choice?" Sookie asked curiously, not having to read her cousin's mind to know that the younger Stackhouse was indeed thinking about doing that. "Because you could, all you would have to do is exchange vows and sign paperwork and that's it."

"You and Eric are so badly trying to get me to do this now and it's almost amusing." Allison shook her head, looking down to play with her hair. "I do think about marrying him and I know we will talk about once the battle is over. But that's the key phrase: once the battle is over. I don't want us to get married because we are afraid of what may happen. If we get married, it will be because we have clear minds and no threat over us. And that's how it should be."

"I get it, I just thought it would be interesting to see how you react." Sookie explained, observing the way her cousin twirled her hair around her fingers and she smiled. "But still, very soon we will be sitting here waiting for your wedding night. You know we will."

"You never know." Allie smiled almost serene like at that moment before their eyes met. "I mean, this battle is going to happen and I know we will all come out of it alive. And once I know for sure that we both still want it, then Eric and I will get married."

"Oh I can't wait for the day that Eric Northman gets married. That will be a huge event." Sookie said jokingly, knowing how rare it was for a vampire like Eric to want to settle down. And although Eric would never be like Bill, he still cared about Allison in his own way and if he was the one to first bring up marriage, then there had to be good in him. "And to think, you being married before you even reach 25. Didn't think that would happen."

"Like I said, you never know what is going to happen."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Oh my god, its not too long now.."

"I'm not even dressed."

"I haven't heard from Bill all day...oh shit, what if he stands me up?"

"What if everything goes wrong?"

"Sookie will you calm down already? Nothing is going to go wrong, I promise you." I assured my nervous looking cousin as put the finishing touches on my makeup and got up from the mirror to look at myself. A lot had changed in the last couple of hours. While Sookie was trying to remain calm and sane, I was trying to focus on getting dressed and ready myself. I jumped in the shower after Sookie and I had eaten a light lunch and afterward I had dried my hair and curled it softly so it fell down my back in a dark silky curtain. I kept my makeup to a minimum, never been much for over doing it, but I still put a little more on then usual. And now I finished putting on my shoes and slipping into my one shoulder, knee length , deep purple dress that fit me as perfectly as the first day I tried it on. I gave my hair one final look over before I stood up to see my cousin still pacing around the room like a crazy person. "Sookie, you need to sit down before you give yourself a heart attack."

"I'm trying to but I'm just worried that something is going to go wrong." She said, wringing her hands in the air in front of her as she practically flew into wall with the way she was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Are you going to go make sure things are ok downstairs? I would do it but I don't want Bill to see me until the right moment."

"That's exactly what I'm going to do, so relax already and take a breather." I ordered her like I was the older cousin and took her by the arms and forced her down into the chair I had just been sitting in. "Now just sit here and look at yourself in the mirror and admire how pretty you look. I'll be back in like 10 minutes."

I slipped out of the guestroom before she could say anything because if I gave her the opportunity to talk, then she would be off on another rampage. So it was good that I got out of there when I did, closing the door gently behind me since the smallest noise set her off and headed right for the staircase. It was a good thing the steps were carpeted because otherwise the sound of my heels would have given my arrival away. But I was halfway down to the first floor when I saw a figure come around the corner of the doorway to the living room and I was pleased to see that it was none other then Godric. He paused in his tracks when I reached the last step and I wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't been expecting me to comes down just yet or if it was because I didn't look as good as I thought. But that idea was banished as he came over, dressed in a black suit with a white button up shirt and black tie, looking more handsome then I had ever noticed before. As soon as I was down on the floor, I saw the smile unfold across his face as his eyes looked me over.

"Allison, you truly look stunning." He pointed out, kissing me on the cheek before holding me at arm's length to observe me closely. "My child is a very lucky vampire."

"And he knows it too." I replied smugly, squeezing Godric's hand before letting go and standing back with my hands on my hips. "But you, you look incredibly handsome. I've never seen you look like this before."

"I don't care for the activity of dressing up all the time that some vampires find amusement in, but I can pull it together when the situation calls for it." He said, running his fingers through his short brown hair. "So what brings you down here an hour before the ceremony?"

"Oh Sookie was going nuts about something going wrong so I said I would check on things." I explained, looking around for some sign of trouble or mishap but there was nothing out of place and in fact, there was no noise or any movement at all. "She wanted me to make sure that the minister was here and that Bill hadn't run off and changed his mind."

"Bill is still getting ready and he seems quite calm for someone who is about to get married, so I wouldn't worry about him." Godric assured me, motioning to a hallway opposite of us that had at least a few bedrooms and where Bill was hanging out in until it was time. "And as for the minister, he has locked himself into the library because Eric was harassing him..."

"Oh he deserved it." A husky voice countered from the doorway behind me and I looked over my shoulder, instantly knowing who it was and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I watched Eric stroll up to us, dressed in all black with no tie on and the top buttons of his black dress shirt undone so I could see his chest. I saw the smirk flash briefly across his face when he saw my reaction but that was wiped away when his eyes swept over my entire body and he appeared to have the same reaction as I did. Big eyes, frozen posture, mouth hanging open. He looked stunned, taken aback, and just from looking at me.

"I think this is my cue to excuse myself." Godric stated with a smirk as he saw the way Eric and I were looking at each other and with a flash, he was gone and it was only us two left at the bottom of the staircase. I could hear a door open and close somewhere down the hallway he had pointed to and knew that he was probably now talking with Bill. But I could barely focus on anything except this gorgeous looking vampire in front of me.

"Wow." Eric said the moment we were alone and he reached for my hand to pull me out into the middle of the floor and turn me into a circle, apparently finding a lot of pleasure in my appearance because when I stopped and looked up at him, he had that familiar hungry, lustful look in his eyes that he said he would have taken me right on this floor if there was no one else in the house. He seemed too floored at the moment to say more then just what had already been said. "Wow."

"Yea, same right back at you." I couldn't stop the ridiculous smile from crossing my face as I too looked at him the same way he was looking at me, like I wanted to rip his clothes off and do very naughty things to him. And of course, because I was a sucker for embarrassment, I had to say that to him. "Oh man, if there was time, I would totally be sexually assaulting you right now."

"I wouldn't mind." Eric was clearly pleased by what I had just said because his fangs shot out at that moment and he moved towards me with his hands outstretched. His face was coming towards mine, fully intending on laying a passionate kiss on me but I ducked away before he could get close and moved up the steps again. He turned towards me with a frown of confusion. "What was that?"

"If I let you kiss me, then I will really start to enjoy it. And I mean, really enjoy it." I knew myself too well. If I gave in to my attraction to him right now, then I would be dragging him into an empty room to have sex and there just wasn't time. There was less then an hour until Sookie and Bill exchanged vows and I still have to help her get dressed. I shook my head at Eric. "I can't let myself by tempted by you right now. Sookie needs me back upstairs and I can't leave her alone any longer. So you will just have to hold off."

"Ok fine." He grumbled, not sounding happy as I started climbing the stairs again and move away from him. I wasn't sure if he would still be there by the time I reached the second floor landing, but that was answered when I heard him call out to me. "Hey Allison?"

"Yea?" I looked down over the railing to see him still standing in the middle of the floor where I had left him, only he had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black dress pants.

"You're beautiful." He said simply, perhaps sounding the most sincere and nice that he had ever sounded in the time I had known him.

"Thank you." I smiled more brightly then I ever had before I left the railing and headed back down the hallway to the room where Sookie was waiting and I couldn't help but hum happily as I walked.

Sometimes life could surprise you in the weirdest ways possible. Life could truly be beautiful when you are complemented by the one you love. And hearing Eric call me beautiful was something that was going to stay with me for a very long time.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 Minutes later<span>_

"So everything is fine downstairs. Bill is dressed and ready and Godric is keeping an eye on him. And the minister is holed up in the living room waiting for us to start." I told Sookie as I helped zip up the back of her simple white dress and then turned her around to fix her veil, that was pinned to her hair just to make sure it was on straight. Nothing was out of place and actually, things were about as perfect as they could be. And I wasn't just playing favorites because she was my cousin. I honestly thought I had never seen a more perfect looking bride. "So everything is ready for when you decide to come down."

"That's good." She nodded, smiling at me and for a second I almost believed it to be genuine, but there was something underlining about that smile. Like it was masking something else, something deeper then she was projecting. "That's really good."

"Sookie? What is it?" I asked quickly, not needing to read her mind to know she was thinking about something sad. We had been so close since we were kids, through our teenage years and even more so into adulthood. If she was thinking about something she hadn't expressed yet, I could always tell. I knew her facial expressions too well. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I've just been thinking a lot while you were downstairs and it has kind of gotten me in to a weird mood." She admitted, leaning against dresser with her arms crossed looking almost on the verge of tears and it was cause for alarm. What could she possibly be thinking about that was putting her on the fast track to crying? She answered that when she caught my eye and sighed. "I was just thinking about how it's my wedding night and...my parents aren't here to see this."

"Oh Sookie..." I felt my own eyes well up in tears and I couldn't stop myself from moving forward to hug her, wrapping her as tightly as I could with my thin arms and stroked her hair. "It's ok, you're not alone in thinking about that. I wish your mom and dad were here too."

"It's weird, because I hadn't thought about the fact that they wouldn't here all that much since Bill and I got engaged. But now that the wedding is here and it really is about to happen, it just reminded me that my parents aren't around anymore. They won't be here to see me marry the love of my life and that really sucks. Every girl should have their parents there when they get married." Sookie pulled back, carefully wiping her eyes with her fingers so she wouldn't smudge her makeup. "It's just a cruel reminder of how mean the world can be."

"Trust me I know exactly how you feel. And it's not fair at all." I agreed with her, shaking my head at how wrong it was that the universe had taken away her parents at such a young age. They weren't here for the big milestones of her life. Like graduating from high school, becoming an adult, holding down a steady job, getting engaged and now getting married. All the thing parents should experience with their child and that wasn't happening here. But Sookie wasn't alone in the way she was feeling. Because when I had woken up this morning, I had been the very same pangs of sadness as well. "You know, I was thinking about my parents too, how they should have also been here for you."

"We've lost so much family over the years. My parents, your parents, Gran and who knows how many others there will be. Life can be so cruel..."

"Yea, but life can be beautiful too. Because just remember that you are starting a new family tonight with someone who can never die and who will never leave you." I told her, bringing on a slight smile from her that mirrored my own. "And look at this way, my parents and your parents may not be here physically, but they are looking down at us on this night. So in a way, they are here for the wedding. We just can't see them."

"You're right, you are always right." Sookie nodded, looking more upbeat as she stood up straight and turned back towards the mirror to wipe at her eyes again. "It will be fine, it's just the way life is suppose to be. And I'm ok with that, because as you said, tonight is the start of something new."

"So I am going to go downstairs and tell the minister and Bill that you are almost done and you just come down when you are ready." I stated to her as I patted her on the shoulder and headed across the room to the slightly open doorway. But when I got to the door, I looked back at her for a second observing how truly stunning she was in that white dress and veil with her blond hair falling softly down her back. Bill was going to be blown away by her. "You're beautiful Sookie. You really truly are."

"Thank you." She caught my eye in the reflection of the mirror and smiled at me. "I don't know how I would have made it through today without you."

"You're still my family at the the end of the day...first and foremost."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"Oh my god, she is so beautiful."

"Look at her! She's stunning."

"Look at Bill, he is speechless."

"Incredible, just incredible."

Sookie grinned broadly behind her sheer veil as she turned the corner into the library and spotted the 5 figures waiting for her arrival. Allison was standing off to the side with Eric and Godric, stuck between the two vampires but there was the widest grin ever on her face as they met each others eyes. The minister was standing in front of the fireplace, nervously eying the three vampires as if they were going to lash out and kill him at any moment, even though he had assured her over the phone that he was one of the few ministers who did not mind doing vampire/human weddings. But it was Bill's face that she had all her focus on. He was staring at her with big eyes, his normally stoic posture going sloppy as he appeared amazed at the sight of her coming towards him. She wasn't carrying flowers or anything so when she reached the fireplace and was standing in front of Bill and the minister, she quickly drew back her veil with both hands and revealed her face to her soon to be husband. Bill took her hands in his, holding them tightly as they both turned towards the minister who was looking between curiously.

"Would you still like to go through with the short ceremony with the vows?" The minister asked, who was in his sixties and named Joshua Carter, and who was looking at the two of them for confirmation. But he more directed this at her since he still seemed wary about standing so close to Bill.

"Yes, that's fine." Sookie answered for them both, barely taking her eyes off of Bill to nod behind her. "My cousin wants to say something first though."

"Of course." Mr. Carter said, stepping back and to the side as Allison left the spot by Eric and Godric and came to the front of the room to stand in the middle of her and Bill.

"I don't like to make speeches but I agreed to it because Sookie asked me to and I do have something to say to the two of them separately." Allison took a deep breath before she looked at Bill first and smiled at him like he was the big brother she had never had. "I've known you as long as Sookie has and I've gotten to see sides of you from a perspective that she doesn't. I see your faults and I see your positives. You're not perfect and you have never claimed to be, you've admit that to me on numerous occasions. But the thing about you Bill Compton, is that you never shy away from the fact that you make mistakes and you don't always act appropriately. You know when you do something wrong and you show remorse for it. Not many people, or vampires can own up to that. But you can and having the courage to admit when you're wrong is definitely a trait I would want in the man that's about to marry my cousin. Because I know you will never lie to her and you will do everything in your power to keep her from being hurt by anyone or even yourself. I have no doubt about you, I know you are going to be a great addition to our family. So just thank you for being one of the good ones."

"Thank you." Bill mouthed, sending her a smile and reaching out to squeeze one of her hands gently. "Your words were very kind."

"You're welcome." Allie swallowed hard, wiping at her eyes before she turned in her direction with happy tears welling up again. "Sookie, you know I don't think of you as just my cousin, you're more then that and you always have been. You're my sister and my best friend and you have always been the one I can go to to talk about anything. And I won't hesitate to admit that I was worried about losing that once you and Bill got married. But then things did start to change and in a better way then I thought. We had to grow up and stop relying on each other like we have our whole lives. We will always be close but there are going to be other people in our lives as we move on from how we use to be. And I'm glad you're moving forward with someone who is worthy of the relationship that you and I shared. So just know that I love you and I am so thankful for the years that it was just you and be. Because those years allowed me to grow as a person and I can be out in the world and be sure of myself. And that's all because of you. You will never know how thankful I am for that."

"I love you Allie." Sookie couldn't help but drop Bill's hands so she could hug her cousin tightly before they both end up in tears. It was only going to be another few minutes left to the ceremony, so they both could keep it together until then. When they parted, Allie smiled at them both before stepping away to go back to Eric and Godric while Sookie took up Bill's hands and nodded to the minister. "Ok, we're ready to finish this."

"Sookie Stackhouse, do you take William Compton to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, through good times and bad? For as long as you both shall live?" Mr. Carter then proceeded to give Bill a heavy look, being that he was the vampire and would be the one to never die or get sick, while Sookie was the one that would fall victim to that. But she ignored it and just nodded.

"I do." She whispered quietly, taking the simple gold wedding band from the minister and slipping it over Bill's long pale finger with a happy sigh.

"William Compton, do you take Sookie Stackhouse to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, through good times and bad? For as long as you both shall live?" There went the look again once he stopped talking but just as she had, Bill ignored it.

"Oh I most certainly do." Bill then proceeded to turn to the minister, holding up his hand, signifying that he wanted to say something. And then they were looking into each others eyes, he squeezed her hands and spoke. "Sookie, you and you alone have changed me in ways that I couldn't even believe. You make me feel like I have a beating heart again, like I could very well be human even though I am a vampire. I have never felt that in my lifetime. I know it's not in our nature to love like you humans do. And I use to feel the need to fight it, but with you I don't and I'm glad for that. I am a vampire that is so completely and utterly in love with you and I know how rare that is. So thank you for agreeing to come on this journey with me and for giving me the honor of being my wife. You have no idea how honored I am."

"Alright then. Then by the power invested by me by the state of Louisiana..." Minister Carter took a second to look at her, as if giving her the chance to back out if she wanted to. But of course she didn't and when he realized that, he shrugged and went on. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You can kiss your bride..."

He never got a chance to finish because Bill pulled her forward into his arms and laid the kiss on her lips that seal their fate forever. A fate that Sookie was happy to have happen to her.

* * *

><p><em><span>40 minutes later<span>_

_When you run into my arms_

_We steal a perfect moment_

_Let the monsters see you smile_

_Let them see you smiling_

_Life is beautiful_

_But its complicated_

_We barely make it_

_We don't need to understand_

_There are miracles, miracles_

"Ah ha, so this is where you escaped to." Eric's voice came at me from the door way of the upstairs bathroom and I didn't even have to look up to meet his eyes. All I had to do was look in the mirror at his reflection to find him leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets while he watched me stand at the sink. " What are you doing?"

"Head ache, just taking something for it." I answered, showing him the two pills in my hand that I quickly popped into my mouth and took a swig of water to swallow it with. I hadn't even heard him follow me when I slipped away from the group to come upstairs, but then again vampires were so quiet that I shouldn't have been surprised. I set down my glass and turned around to face him, just in time for him to walk into the room and shut and lock the door behind him while he tried to appear innocent. But I knew better then to be fooled by that look. I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed and my eye brows raised. "You know I think they will all know we are up to something when they realize we both are gone."

"Oh I think they are already aware of that, it's not that hard to figure out considering there is only a handful of people in this house." Eric said with a cheesy grin, removing his hands from his pockets and coming towards me quickly. His hands reached for my waist and before I could even blink, he had me up on the counter and his body was pressed against mine with his lips coming close to my ear. "And even if they do think we are up to something, I don't care. I've been waiting to be alone with you all day."

"How funny, I feel the same way." I couldn't help but smirk at him as I reached up to his shoulders to start drawing his jacket down off his arms, all the while keeping my eyes on his face. "I don't think they will miss us for 5 minutes."

"We can do a lot of damage in 5 minutes." He replied huskily, his cool breath falling on my face as he began to hike my dress up above my waist and his fingers started teasing the skin right above the lace band of my panties. "I want you so bad."

"And I want you just as badly." I breathed out loud, tossing his jacket on the floor just as his fingers hooked around my underwear and tore them clear off my body.

From then on it was a blur, well almost a blur. Because when it came to sex with Eric, even when it went fast, I still remembered every detail about that moment. The way his lips sucked on the skin of my mouth, causing my to moan louder then I had the last time. Or how his hands squeezed at my hips to move me forward to the edge of the counter so I could be pressed against him even more intimately. His fingers somehow managed to get the zipper on my dress undone and slip the fabric off me without me even realizing it. His lips were everywhere, kissing me so delicately and yet passionately at the same time that it was leaving me breathless. His hands traveled up from my waist to my chest where he freed my breasts from the strapless bra I was wearing and flicked his tongue across one of my nipples, exciting me to the point where I almost went over the edge right then and there. But managed to hold off even as he was massaging my breasts with both hands, he was a master at this. He always had been and right now was nothing new. He knew just how to touch me to get me going, making me want to squeeze my legs together in an attempt to get rid of the ache in my core. I was barely able to breath when Eric suddenly lifted my leg and slide into to me, forcing me to grab on to him with a gasp as I was filled to the brim with that aroused feeling that always came quickly when I was being intimate with him.''

"You know I love you right?" He asked in a near whisper as he ground his hips against mine, holding onto my waist with one hand while his other was braced against the mirror behind me. "Because I do. I do love you."

"I really need to hear that more often Eric." I gripped his shoulder so tightly that I thought my fingers were going to snap off every time he thrust into me. "I need to hear you say that you love me more."

"I will say it as many times as you need to hear it." He spoke into my ear, his face leaning against the side of mine as he pushed himself further into me. "I love you Allison Stackhouse. I love you now and I will love you forever. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..."

"I love you Eric Northman.." I was only able to utter those words before his mouth met my own and I was silenced, about to be taken into a world of ultimate bliss.

_30 minutes later_

"So you finally decided to reemerge from your hiding spot. How nice." Godric smirked up at me as I walked down the staircase on my unsteady legs after realizing how much time had passed since Eric and I both disappeared up into the bathroom. I hadn't wanted to walk down together to face everyone so I made him wait upstairs for at least 10 minutes while I went down to see what was going on and as luck would have it, the first person I encountered was Godric. And he seemed to be smiling at me wickedly, like he knew we had been up to something.

"I wasn't hiding, I was getting something for my headache." I stammered, running my fingers through my slightly disheveled hair that I was worried would give me away. "Sooo...where is everyone? It's way too quiet in the house."

"While you and Eric were off doing god only knows what, the minister hightailed it out of here after he signed off on the official paperwork and your cousin left with Bill about 20 minutes ago to celebrate back at his house. Which leaves me with just you and Eric." Godric explained, stuffing his hands in his pockets before sending me a mischievous smirk. "What were you two doing? Because it does not take almost 40 minutes to take medicine."

"Oh my god, you know what we did. I can tell by the look on your face." I snapped, suddenly overcome with horror as I realized Godric did indeed know that Eric and I had been doing something. Maybe he didn't know for sure that we had sex but the idea of Godric knowing his progeny and I were doing anything remotely sexual was embarrassing. "Oh man I could just die right now."

"You're only human, it's natural to have these sexual...urges...and oh my god that feels weird to say that to you considering it feels like you're my daughter." Godric shook his head, looking just as uncomfortable to say this as it was for me to hear it. He clenched his teeth tightly before looking at me and I saw a smile start to spread over his lips. "But I guess it had to be done by someone. Someone had to fill the quota."

"What quota?" I lifted my head up completely before cocking it to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The thing about how someone always has to have dirty wedding sex.: He pointed out with a sly grin. "Someone always sneaks off to have sex at a wedding. And I guess that you and Eric took care of that tradition."

"Godric shut up." I snapped, dropping my face down into my hands as my cheeks flamed red.


	46. Outta my head

**Chapter 46 Outta my head**

Change was in the air.

I could feel it.

It was an inevitable part of my future now that I knew what was to come around the corner at me. There was no way that things wouldn't change once this war began. Even if it went perfectly and we all lived, we were still going to be affected by it. This war was going to change everything. It was going to scar us mentally and physically and leave our emotions in a tangled mess that could take years to unravel. No one went into war and came out of it with no scars, it was unrealistic to think that we would all be the same once we got what we want. We weren't going to be the same, we couldn't be. We were about to fight for our lives and being put into that position, being forced into that situation with your back to the wall trying to survive had a way of changing you forever even if you didn't get hurt at all. No one should ever be put into a situation like that. It was a dark place, a scary place. And I would never wish that on anyone.

"This is some really great stuff to think about when I open my eyes in the morning." I groaned, rolling over on my back so I was staring up at the ceiling instead of focusing on the insides of my eyelids. I would have looked towards Eric, but with it being morning, he had already left to lock himself into the downstairs safe room.

So I was alone when I woke up, but that was to be expected and I was use to it at this point so it didn't bother me. And on this morning, I was almost glad Eric wasn't beside me. Because if he had been, then he would be bugging me to talk to him about what was going on in my head and he always knew when I was thinking heavily because I got a look on my face that gave it away. And right now, I didn't want to be questioned. I just wanted to think. And be alone with my thoughts.

Because I sure as hell had a lot of them.

This war was on the brink of happening. I didn't know exactly when it would happen, but I knew it was going to be soon. It had to be because we were all at the end of our tethers. We couldn't go on living like this, just trying to anticipate the next attack or strike. Even with my ability to have visions, it wasn't much help when I couldn't seem to push through to see anything. We never knew when something was coming and there was no telling if the next time was going to result in a death. That was no way to live, always thinking that this week could be the week that your life came to an end. It wasn't fair and it had to end in some way. And that way was war. It would never stop unless we physically went out to challenge it. Not a single one of us was willing to just lay down and allow these witches to come and kill us. We were going to fight back as hard as we could, even if it meant that we could possibly die. At least then we would die knowing we had tried to stay alive instead of just giving up. That was the way I would want to go out. To die fighting for my life because it meant something to me, to have no regrets as I passed on...

And then, just like that, a regret popped into my head. A regret that I knew if I let it go unresolved for any longer, then it would be too late should something happen in the coming days. A regret that I hadn't thought about in months, but had been a cornerstone ion my life before any of this every happened. A regret of a friendship that I had let go to the back of my mind where it was hidden and almost forgotten. A friendship that had been through the ringer but that I always felt could be fixed given the time. Only now, time was running out and I had to decide whether I should attempt to bring it to the forefront or if it was just best to leave it where it was.

I had to decide whether I wanted to try and fix things with Sam.

I hadn't spoken to Sam in months, since just after I had returned from Mystic Falls and to be perfectly honest I hadn't thought all that much about him in the time after that. I had just had so much going on and I had been so hurt by our last encounter that it was easier to just put it aside and forget about it. But now, things were up in the air, lives were hanging in the balance, and a war was brewing in the shadows. Anything could happen. Anyone could die. And even though he had hurt me that night in Mystic Falls, if I was going to be lying on some cold ground, waiting for death to take me, then I did not want to regret anything in my life. And I knew I would regret it if I didn't at least try to make things right with my former friend. I didn't know what would happen if my life would come to an end soon. I don't know if I would be wandering around as a ghostly spirit, watching everyone in my afterlife and if that was what happened when a person died, then I did not want to be tormented in my afterlife knowing I had the time to fix things with him and didn't. So I was going to fix things, or at least try to.

I was going to go see him.

* * *

><p><em><span>2 hours later<span>_

"So tell me again why you didn't tell any one you were getting married last night?" Sam asked her later that morning when there was a lull in the crowd and she was busy cleaning off one of the bigger tables near the back wall to get it ready for the lunch time crowd that was sure to come in by noon. And since there weren't that many people in the bar, Sam had come over to join her and to talk since they had the moment to do it. And it wasn't long before he noticed the gold band on her ring finger and commented on it and she was forced to confess to the events of last night. And to say he was taken aback was a gross understatement. "What? Were you like ashamed and thought no one would find out?"

"I wasn't ashamed, I just wanted a small ceremony with only a handful of people there." Sookie made a point of saying, carefully avoiding the truth of the matter when she addressed Sam. He had no idea about what was really going on and she preferred to keep it that way. Too many people were involved in this and the less she pulled him into it then better. "And I didn't invite you because I know your stance on humans marrying vampires. So I just thought I would avoid a rant from you and just go ahead and do it. So I did."

"You still should have told me, I would have been there for you despite my reservations about vampires." Sam insisted, stacking a pile of plates on the tray before shooting her a smile. "I'm still your friend, sort of."

"Not sort of, definitely my friend." Sookie returned the smile, feeling truth behind it as they worked together in the nearly empty bar. "It wasn't anything personal, I just wanted something small. But that doesn't mean our friendship was bad so I purposely left you out."

"I guess I just assumed that because things have been so weird these last few months." Sam grimaced and Sookie knew, without even reading his mind, that he was referring to the problem with Allie, even if he didn't mention her directly. She hadn't talked to him about it since Allie came home and she found out what had happened. She knew he felt remorse even when he refused to talk about her at first. Eventually those two would have to find a way to make peace and she just hoped it was sooner rather then later. "But if you say its not that then I will choose to believe you."

"Good, because I'm right." Sookie grinned jokingly, letting out the slight tension in the air as they both wiped down the table top. "You know, it doesn't matter what goes on between you and...other people. Because I think we've had a fairly good friendship these last few years and that shouldn't be affected by what else goes on in our lives."

"That's very mature of you to say." Sam cocked his head to the side and nodded as he tucked the towel in his back pocket. "And I agree with you. The strength of our friendship should be based on..."

"Uh guys..." Lafayette's voice called out from the kitchen hatch, gaining their attention as both their heads turned over to where he was hanging over the counter waving at them with a spatula in his hand. "You might want to check this out."

Both Sookie and Sam turned in the direction he was pointing at which happened to be the front door that had just slammed shut. There was someone standing behind the divider and when that person turned around the corner, Sookie saw Sam's jaw drop slightly. Because it wasn't just any other customer who had walked in.

It was Allison.

"Hi." She said quietly, holding up her hand to wave at Lafayette before turning in their direction with her teeth clenched and her hands clasped tightly into fists at her side. "Can I talk to you?"

"Me?" Sookie stepped forward, wondering what the hell had happened to brig Allison out of Shreveport and into Merlotte's when her and Sam had been on the outs for months now. "What wrong?"

"Oh, nothing is wrong. But it's not you I came to talk to." Allie replied nervously, looking down at the floor briefly before looking over Sookie's shoulder at Sam. "I wanted to speak with Sam. Is that ok?"

"Oh...well, I uh..." Sam was clearly not ready for this and was having a hard time finding words to express that. Sookie didn't blame him from being surprised, it was weird that just minutes ago they were eluding to Allison and then she suddenly popped up with no warning. Of course Sam was going to be thrown for a loop. But that didn't mean he was going to turn down her request because he looked up and sighed. "I guess that would be all right. My trailer work for you?"

"That's fine." Allie nodded and then quickly turned on her heels and left the bar just as rapidly as she entered it. Sookie looked at Sam, who simply shrugged and then followed after her cousin and Sookie could only hope that whatever had spurned Allison to come here, would turn out ok.

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"You haven't said anything yet." Sam broke the silence in the air between us as we sat on opposite ends of the couch in his tiny living room and stared at each other like we had been doing for almost half an hour. "You said you wanted to talk..."

"I'm working up to it." I replied, propping my elbow on the back of the couch and leaned my head against my closed fist, trying to figure out how I was suppose to start off a conversation I never even prepared myself for.

When I woke up this morning and made the decision to come to Bon Temps to see Sam, I hadn't thought of what I would say to him when I did get here. Normally if I was going to do something like this, then I would have taken the time to at least come up with some talking points to ease into the real reason why I wanted to talk. But this was a spur of the moment choice. I had allowed my head to fill up with thoughts of Sam and let it lead me down a path without even stopping to consider how I would act when I was here. It was a spontaneous decision that was now seeming like a worse idea the longer he and I saw here staring at each other. I though I would know what to say as soon as I walked into the bar. But I was lucky I had been able to say hello and to ask if we could talk and that had been it. I walked out to his trailer with him right behind me and we entered it without saying a word. We sat down without saying a word. And we continued to sit here without saying a word. It was torture, not just for me but for him too. We both had so much to say but we seemed unable to take that first step to actually getting to the root of the problem. This is exactly why I never did anything spontaneous, because I always wound up making a fool of myself by sitting there like an idiot.

"Where have you been?" Sam asked suddenly, breaking the silence again with this loaded question because I wasn't how to answer it. If I told him the truth, then he would probably get pissed to learn I was living with Eric. If I refused to tell him the truth, then he would know something was wrong. "I mean, the whole town heard about your house burning down and I know Sookie is living with Bill, but she said you weren't living with them. So where have you been?"

"Um, in Shreveport." I thought it was best to just leave it there. I didn't need to say anything more because I knew as soon as I mentioned the town name, then he would know exactly what I meant. And sure enough, a frown appeared on his face as the recognition flashed through his eyes.

"No need to elaborate on that one." He retorted, fingering his floppy hair while his eyes stared a hole through me. "Why didn't you let anyone know where you were?"

"That's not important..."

"It is important. People were worried about you."

"Sookie knew where I was, that's all that mattered."

"More people then just Sookie mattered and cared about where you've been these past few months." Sam growled, clearly insinuating that he was one of those people who should have been informed. "Why didn't you tell me you had moved?"

"Because things have been so weird with us for so long that I couldn't just waltz into the bar and say I was moving. At that point we hadn't talked or seen each other in a really long time and it just felt like it would be really awkward that the first time we speak is when I'm telling you I'm moving." I explained, my hand gripping my hair tightly as I watched him. "We've had so many problems in the past year alone that I didn't know how to bridge the gap that had been set up between us. So when I ended up moving, it seemed easier to just go with it and not say anything else. It was too hard to talk to you."

"But why?" He demanded, his eyebrows furrowing into a deep frown. "We have been friends for over 6 years and you have always been able to talk to me even when we fought before. Why is now any different?"

"This time was different, you made it different." I told him with a frown of my own, dropping my hands down to my lap. "You decided to try and change the course of our relationship even though it didn't work out the first time. And then you tried again when I never gave you any indication that I wanted it to go in that direction. You made it up in your head and then you yelled at me for it. You said horrible things to me and made me relive pain that I had been trying to outrun. You brought it all back to the forefront because of something you cooked up in your mind. And that's how it changed everything between us, you pushed things too far this time and I couldn't even stand to be around you for more then a few minutes. You did that, not me."

"You're right, I did do that. I am the one responsible for our friendship falling apart." He agreed with no resistance, which was not what I was expecting. And he could tell because then he said. "Didn't think I would admit to that huh?"

"No, I didn't. Because this time was so unlike the last times you've tried to make us more then friends. This time I thought our friendship was gone and destroyed, I thought it couldn't be fixed." I replied honestly, shrugging my shoulders and wrapping my sweater tighter around me. "But then I woke up this morning and was thinking about you. And it made me wonder if I had been wrong, that maybe we could fix our friendship if we wanted to."

"And that's why you came to see me out of the blue." He finished the thought for me with a slight twitch of his lips that almost went into a smile but remained in a tight line. "Look, I've had time to think about our fight as well and I am sorry for the tone I used when I was talking to you. And I'm sorry about what I said. It's no excuse, but I was saying it in the heat of the moment, which is never fair but that it my reasoning. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you by losing my temper the way I did."

"But..." I knew there was more to his statement then he was letting on and a second later, I got my answer.

"Although I am sorry for my attitude and words, I can't apologize for the reason I said it in the first place." He went on, pushing the subject even though it was tough for both us but I knew we both needed to do this if we wanted to come out on the other side to try and start healing. "I can't apologize for being in love with you."

"I get that, I really honestly do. But just like you can't apologize for loving me, I can't apologize for loving Eric. It's something that neither of us can help." I saw him flinch when I mentioned my vampire's name, but I couldn't just not ever let Eric's name pass over my lips when I was talking to Sam. Eric was my other half and I had spent enough time shying away from that when it came to Sam and I didn't want to do it anymore. "I don't know if it is possible or if you even want to. But if we can make it work, I would like us to try and be friends."

"I would like that too. And it will take a lot of work to rebuild what we use to have. And it will be more work on my part then on yours." He stated with a grimace, showing just how hard this was for him to admit to. "Because in order for us to have any hope of being friends, I have to stop thinking that my feelings for you will ever amount to anything more then what we are now."

"I know it will be hard for you and I'm sorry for that. But I do hope that one day we can be friends like we use to be." I stood up, feeling like I had said all that I had come here to say and reached for my jacket so I could leave. This had been heavy enough and it was probably best to leave it where it was for now and picked it up another time. Sam seemed to agree because he didn't try and stop me as I headed towards the door. "Goodbye Sam."

"Allie? Can I ask you something?" He called out, stopping me from stepping out on to the porch by throwing another question at me. But it worked, because I did turn around to look at him while he stared at me curiously. "Why did you come here?"

"I thought I already made that clear." I slipped my arms through the sleeves of my jacket while I spoke to him. "So we could talk about what happened between us."

"But why now?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his dark green t-shirt. "What suddenly made you want to talk to me? Why after all this time did you want to reconcile?"

"Like I said, I just woke up thinking about it." I was lying full on to his face and he didn't even know it. That wasn't far from the truth because I had just woken up and was thinking about him. But the reason I was thinking about him was because I had just been obsessing about the war about to take place and how I didn't want to have any regrets in my after life if I ended up dying. Sam didn't know about any of that and he never would. I didn't want our healing process to be ruined because he knew I was doing it out of fear. I didn't relish lying to him even more, but I had been doing it for this long, so I might as well continue. So I simply shrugged at him and said. "Things change so fast and life goes by in a blink of an eye. I don't want to look back on this time in my life and have any regrets."

I left him with this statement as I turned around again and left the trailer, hoping beyond hope that I would have a future so I could look back on this moment.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"What were you thinking?" That cold voice asked me the second I slipped around the front door and entered the darkened house only to be met with the sight of Eric sitting at the bottom of the steps waiting for me. And the look on his face was enough to make me cringe.

So much for trying to sneak back in.

When I had left the house almost 2 hours ago it wasn't even noon, so I figured that by the time I got to Bon Temps and talked to Sam and then was on my way home that it would still be light out. So there was no way that Eric would be awake and noticed that I had run off without leaving an indication to where I had gone. I thought I could get back and slip into the house unnoticed and go about the rest of the day as if I had never left. Eric was so dead asleep that nothing could rouse him during the day so I didn't think I would have a problem pretending like I had been there all along. Eric didn't need to know every little detail about where I went or what I did. Unless he saw me going then that was one thing. But I had left during the day when I knew he couldn't see me and I was so sure I wouldn't have to explain myself. But as always the universe hated me and he was there waiting for me when I got home.

"Don't be mad at me." I said instantly as I dropped my keys on the table against the wall and shrugged out of my jacket as he got to his feet and came towards me with an expression I couldn't read. "Please don't be mad..."

"I'm not mad. I'm annoyed." He growled and despite his words, he looked angry to me. He stopped when he was a few feet away and just stood there to his full height, looking down at me darkly. "I'm annoyed that you left the house with no protection. I'm annoyed that you left at all but especially during the day when I couldn't help you if something went wrong."

"But you're not mad?" I asked with a smirk, almost amused and very touched by how he was getting concerned about me even though he was clearly upset with me for not staying put. "You're very cute when you're annoyed with me."

"Don't try and distract me with your talk." He hissed, reaching forward to grab my arm and pulled me to him. "Where were you?"

"I went to Bon Temps." I explained, knowing this was going to open up a can of very old worms but I wasn't going to lie. Lying would be saying I had done something wrong and I hadn't done anything worthy of lying to him. So I just told him. "I went to go see Sam."

"OK, now I'm mad." He was holding me with both hands as I leaned back to see a flash of fury in his blue eyes but I refused to be afraid of him. "Why would you go to see that Shifter? Why did you feel the need to hide it when you left the house?"

"I didn't hide it, I just didn't tell you the truth. And I'm not going to apologize because I didn't do anything wrong." I stared up at him defiantly. While I knew he wouldn't take this confession well and while I even understood the jealousy crossing his face, I wasn't about to let him make me think I had done something I didn't do. "I only went to see him so I wouldn't have any regrets if something happened in battle."

"Oh sweet Jesus." Eric let out a hum of annoyance and he rolled his eyes at me. " Nothing is going to happen to you. And you need to get that thought out of your head."

"Yea but just in..." I heard my voice trail off at the exact same time my eyes clouded over in darkness. I was having a vision, I recognized the signs of it in time to reach up and grab Eric's arms to hold myself steady as it took over me. I heard voices and I saw faces, faces that I knew all too well. The vision didn't last long and it didn't show me anything violent of even scary. But what it did show me was important, important enough that it was about to start off the next phase in my life. When I came out of it, Eric was looking at me in concern, all traces of his anger and annoyance gone as he too appeared to know I had just had a vision. "Oh my god."

"What did you see?" He demanded, his hands were now cupping my face so our eyes were meeting. "What's suppose to happen now?"

"I'm suppose to be the one to reach out to them...I have to call Steve Newlin to begin this war."

**A/N: There you have it, the start of what will lead these characters to war. Now there are only 3 chapters left until the 3 part finale...stay tuned, its going to be crazy**


	47. Jump start

**Chapter 47 Jump start**

_The next night_

"Oh man, I cannot believe I am about to do this." I groaned out loud, clenching my teeth so tightly that my jaw began to ache as I stared down at the phone in my hand and the piece of paper with the number on it in my other hand. I didn't want to do this, I wanted to run away from this task. I did not want to call this number and talk to this disgusting man who claimed to be a messenger of God. After having a vision last night of seeing myself calling Newlin to jump start this war and telling Eric about it, I had been in my own kind of haze for the entire day. Eric had been the one to call Godric and Bill and Sookie to tell them what was going on. And they had all insisted on being here when I made the call, which I was grateful for because if they weren't sitting at the table with me, then I wasn't sure I would have had the courage to turn the phone on and start dialing the number. I felt Eric's hand clamp down on my leg as I hit the speakerphone button so they could all hear what was being said. And I had just sent them all a look to stay quiet no matter what was said, when the line was picked up.

"Hello, you have reached the Dallas branch of the Fellowship of the Sun church. My name is Sarah Newlin, how may I help you today?" That perky little voice asked, sounding as sweet and as innocent as an angel. You never would have thought she was married to a complete douche bag. She sounded so nice and that tone would have fooled anyone who wasn't me. I had seen her around the church when I had been abducted last year, and even though she had never laid a hand on me, she still never helped me. And for that, I would hate her just as much as I would hate her husband. "Hello?"

"Uh...hello. This is...Allison Stackhouse." I heard her gasp from her end of the line, like she had been instructed to wait for my call but never imagined that I would actually do it. But I couldn't focus on her reaction, I had other fish to fry. So I gathered my courage and said. "I would like to speak to your husband right now."

"Of course, he's been waiting for your call for a very long time." Sarah made a point of informing me, sounding almost gleeful before she said. "I will transfer you to him right away."

"Tramp." I muttered, not caring if she heard me or not as I listened to some cheesy country music while the call was put through. I glanced up around the table at all the faces surrounding me. I was sitting right between Eric and Godric where I felt most safe. Sookie and Bill were seated directly across from us while Stefan and Damon were on one end of the table and Pam was sitting next to Holly on the other end. They were all leaning forward at this point, not wanting to miss anything and a second, the phone was picked up and they all had something interesting to listen to.

"Well hello Ms. Stackhouse, I've been wondering when we would hear from you. It's been a while." Steve Newlin's voice came through the speakerphone loud and clear, sounding friendly and inviting, a total contrast to how he was in real life. I saw Eric visibly tense up beside me and I had to slap my hand over his wrist to keep him from saying anything. "What miracle lead you to pick up the phone and finally make the one call that could end this madness?"

"No miracle, just annoyance." I shot back, my lips curling up into a snarl as I wished I could just throw the phone at the wall, but I managed to maintain my composure by taking a deep breath before I spoke again. "I'm calling to make a deal with you."

"A deal huh? Well now that certainly intrigues me." He chuckled as if we were having a fine old conversation about the wonders of the world. He was just as annoying as he had ever been. "Explain yourself because I am just dying to know what this deal entails."

"You are such a piece of shit, nice to know not much has changed since the last time I saw you." I hissed, narrowing my eyes at the phone as if he could see me through it. "By the way, how are you feeling after I sent your ass flying through the wall? I can imagine that must hurt still from time to time."

"The human body is a wonderful thing, it heals itself just when you think it can't anymore. Truly remarkable." He said, still keeping up the lighthearted tone which I found more aggravating by the second. He could be talking about anything and his tone would never change. "But enough about me, I want to hear the reason you have finally reached out to me."

"Like I said, I have a deal to proposition you with that no one knows I am making." I smirked slightly as I said this since everyone around me had known about this plan from the beginning but Newlin didn't know that. "I don't want anyone to know what I am about to do, because they would never approve."

"You mean your precious vampires? You are so brainwashed by those dead people that it is just sad." Newlin sounded like he was falsely feeling sorry for me even though he was the cause for all this pain. "But humor me and tell me what it is that they wouldn't approve of."

"It has to do with the coven you have joined up with and a way where we can both get what we want." This was it, this was the part where I was going to have to sound the most convincing if I was hoping to pull this off and remain alive at the end of the battle. "If your witches stop attacking the people that I love and leave them alone...then I will give myself up to them."

"Wow, I'm surprised it took you this long to finally agree to it. All this pain and anguish could have been avoiding if you had done it sooner. No one else would have gotten hurt because of you." He just had to point that out to me, bringing on the output of flashing fangs from every single one of the vampires sitting around me. But he couldn't hear that and went on just as happily as he had been before. "But none the less, you are sacrificing yourself to save the others. How very...Godric of you."

"So we have a deal then?" I jumped ahead, seeing the look on Godric's face when his name passed through the phone by Newlin, reminding us both of how he had almost made it so Godric wasn't around anymore. I would never forget that night but right now I couldn't think about that. "You will leave my loved ones alone if I give myself to the witch you send after me?"

"That sounds like a fine deal Ms. Stackhouse, but do not think for one moment that I was born yesterday. I am a highly intelligent man and I always have a back up in store." He said seriously, and I had to choke back a laugh when he called himself intelligent because only stupid people would refer to themselves as intelligent. "I can't guarantee that if I send one witch to collect you that your vampire friends won't kill her the moment she gets there. In order to insure that this deal is held up on your end, I am sending the entire coven to get you."

"You don't trust me that I will give myself up to one witch?" I asked, sounding close to tears but I was actually smiling because this was exactly what I wanted to happen. He was sending them all here which was what we had hoped for. It was what we had planned and now it was happening. "You have to send a whole coven?"

"Just to be sure that you do what you're suppose to do." He stated, sounding like he was explaining this to a very young child instead of a girl in her early twenties. "And it doesn't matter either way, because the end result will be the same."

"Yes, I know." I replied quietly, knowing what he was referring to but I did not want to verbalize it. "So go ahead...send the entire coven."

"Oh I will because I do not trust you Allison Stackhouse." He had the audacity to say this to me like I was the one who was unworthy of trust, when in actuality it was the other way around. "And when those witches get to Louisiana, there will be no hiding from them. They will find you as soon as the sky turns dark and they won't even need to know where you are. But because I am such a nice man, I will give you 48 hours to put your affairs in order before your end comes. And on the third night, you will give yourself to the coven without resistance. I think that is fair enough."

"Fair enough would be if you weren't sending an entire coven after me, but I can't change that now. What's done is done." I retorted, pressing my lips together in a tight line. "But I will agree to show up alone and give myself to them without a fight. As long as you keep up your end of the deal."

"That won't be an issue." He said pleasantly, and if I didn't know him so well then I would have believed his nice guy tone. "Goodbye Ms. Stackhouse, it's been nice knowing you."

"Go fuck yourself." I said just as he hung up and when the line went dead, I proceeded to stand up and chuck the phone right at the wall behind Sookie and Bill, watching in satisfaction as it broke into 5 or 7 different pieces before I sat back down calmly and clasped my hands on the table top. "Ok then. How do we proceed?"

" I can answer that for you." Holly raised her hand, speaking up for the first time since we all gathered there at Eric's house. All faces turned towards her while Eric's hand captured mine and held on tight as Holly began to explain what was to come. "Alright, with the battle happening on the 3rd night from now, it doesn't leave us a lot of time to make plans, but luckily I was already working on that before Allison made this call. And I think it could work."

"It better not be something stupid." Eric growled, already on edge from discussing witches and now looking like he was ready to murder Holly just because she was a witch.

"Eric, shut up." I ordered him, shaking my head before looking at Holly and smiled apologetically. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's not many witches in my coven, but we are all gifted in our own way and combined together, we can make some pretty powerful things happen. So here is my proposal." Holly was talking directly to me even though this was being put to all of us. "We can use spells to hide the vampires you guys assembled and actually it would work on everyone. It would would make Allison appear as if she were alone when she went to meet the witches."

"And the point to that would be..."

"We want the element of surprise because that will help a little bit to take down more of that coven before they realize what is going on. They will never see it coming if they think Allison is by herself." Holly explained, glancing around to see if we were all listening. "And when we all get there the invisibility spell will be lifted and another spell will be put over the area we are fighting in so it will contain everyone inside. And that way we are guaranteed to kill all of them before the night is through."

"Why do I sense there is a catch?" Godric asked, not looking like he entirely believed in this idea. "I sense there is something you haven't said."

"There is a catch and I don't think it will be met with much positivity." Holly replied with a grimace, mostly glancing at Eric since it was obvious that whatever she was going to say would enrage him the most. "In order for this to work, Allie will have to go to meet the witches alone, so she doesn't arouse suspicion. And in the mean time, my coven will be administering the spells..."

"No. No fucking way. She's not going there alone." Eric nearly exploded out of his chair as soon as Holly said this. "I said no stupid ideas and then you go and suggest that we let her wander alone at night while these witches are looking for her? I don't think so."

"It has to be like this if you want it to work. If she isn't out in the open where they can find her by the time night falls, then we won't have the element of surprise on our side. And we need that desperately, because there is only so much a tiny coven like mine can do. And we can't keep her here with us because it will take some time to get the spells to work, especially on an army as large as this one. And she needs to make it seem like she is staying true to her word and showing up alone." Holly said gently, not at all afraid of Eric's proneness to outbursts. "And she won't be alone for long, I promise you all that. But we need to do it this way or there is nothing else that can take it's place. This is the plan we have readied ourselves for. And with only little over 48 hours till battle, we don't have time to figure anything else out and to get it air tight like this. This will work, I have complete faith in it."

"You better." Eric hissed, sending a look of deepest discontent in Holly's direction even though she had down nothing to warrant that look. Finally Eric visibly relaxed and settled back in his chair, his hand clamped down on my wrist. "Alright, we'll go along with this."

"It's settled then...in two days, we go to war."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Hey, can I talk to you guys for a few minutes?" I asked Stefan and Damon as I pulled them away from the group and started tugging them towards the library. Even though I could physically move them since they were stronger then I would ever be, they still humored me and allowed me to push them into the room before I turned to shut the door.

"Wow, getting us alone in a room away from the rest of the group, that's kind of hot." Damon smirked, obviously in a playful mood judging by his tone and statement and for a second he almost made me forget why I had pulled them aside. He dropped himself down on one of the leather couches before saying. "But for the record, I don't do three-somes with my brother."

"No Damon, this is not what this is about." I rolled my eyes, but his comment had lifted the air of tension that had been hanging over the group since we all gathered here to listen to me make that phone call. So in a way, it was a welcomed break from the stiff conversations we had just had. "This is..."

"But if this three-some involved say...you and Pam, then I would be definitely be on board." He said seriously, sending a suggestive smirk at me to which Stefan could only groan at. "What? I'm just being honest."

"Oh yea, your honesty is something to marvel at." Stefan shook his head at Damon's continued inappropriateness in the face of impending danger. "But can you reign it in for once?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Damon asked, propping his feet up on the coffee table and looked and Stefan and I. "You two are such downers."

"You are a piece of work." Stefan said to his brother with no hesitation before he turned to me with a gentle smile. "Go ahead and say what you want to say."

"It's about what it's always about these days, the war. And after the phone call, it seems more real then ever because we finally know when it will happen. This fight is finally going to go down and I just wanted to make sure of something." I explained, nervously running my fingers through the ends of my hair. My heart was pounding rapidly against the inside of my chest and they both could hear it clearly because for once, Damon sat up and looked completely serious. When I knew I had their complete attention, I went on. "I just wanted to know for sure if you guys wanted to still do this, still fight in this battle I mean."

"We said we would help you and that's what we're going to do." Stefan immediately said, charging ahead of his brother in response as he looked at me in that classic Stefan way, the one with the half smile and sympathetic eyes. "We didn't come to Louisiana and stick around if we weren't serious about helping you."

"And there's no way in hell we would pass up the chance to do some major ass kicking." Damon threw in with an excited grin. "And we kind of like you, so it would really suck if you died because you could have used us."

"That was very...comforting Damon." I couldn't help but smile at him, marveling at his ability to turn any situation into something we could laugh about. "But seriously, if you guys are having doubts and decide to leave then I won't blame you if you want to go home. I'm not going to hate you if you don't want to fight. This war doesn't even concern you and I never should have allowed you to stay here. So this is your way out if you have any uneasiness over going into battle."

"You are a very silly girl." Stefan told me with another one of his easy smiles, walking up to me and wrapping his arms around my still frame before I could blink, holding me tight to him. "But we made you a promise to see this through and we are going to hold true to that. There is nothing going on that could pull us away now. We are here until this is over."

"He's right, you know." Damon spoke up, a more serious tone in his voice then had been there before. He got up from the sofa and came over to Stefan and I and said. "We made a promise to help you and nothing will stop us from following through on that promise. We're going to be here until the end."

"Except it won't be our end but theirs." Stefan replied with a determined nod of his head. "It may not seem like it now, but we're going to win this war and make that asshole Steve Newlin regret ever coming after you again."

"And then we will turn the tables and hunt him down so he can never do this again." Damon added, pulling me out of Stefan's embrace and into his arms, hugging me tightly. "And once we he is gone, we can talk about that three-some."

"Oh boy, what would I do without the two of you."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Godric? May I talk to you and and Eric alone?" Holly found herself making this request to the two oldest vampires as the room started emptying and she want to grab them aside before they could walk off and disappear somewhere. She had a point to make and she wanted to make it now because she honestly thought it was a good idea. "It's important."

"I don't have time for this." Eric growled, clearly making no attempt to hide his disgust for what she was and simply turned his head away as if she were unworthy of his stare. "You already made a point earlier and I don't care to hear any more."

"Eric, be quiet." Godric hissed, sending a dark look at the much taller vampire, who although was still giving off the attitude of not wanting to listen, he actually visibly backed down and sat in an empty chair in the now deserted dining room. Godric was pleased and he turned back to face her with a more welcoming expression on his pale face. "Go ahead Holly. Say what you need to say."

"Well, now that we know we are going to war on the third night from now and we have a plan in place for it, I was just thinking that perhaps it might be a good idea if Allison got to know everyone in the army..." Holly began to explain, not entirely sure how this statement was going to come across but she didn't care because this was something that needed to be said. "...especially the witches in my coven."

"No...absolutely not." Eric nearly exploded at the mere mention of this and if it hadn't been for Godric stepping in his path, then Holly was sure the former viking would have tried to attack her. "That's the most idiotic idea anyone has come up with so far."

"Why is it stupid?" Holly demanded to know, having no fear about staring down this vampire. She knew he wouldn't be able to do anything with Godric there to maintain the peace. "She needs to know who is on our side and I think it would be a good thing for her to know that not all witches are bad. It'll be good for her to meet them before we go into battle."

"No fucking way." Eric shouted, straining against Godric's body but he wasn't able to make a move forward. But that didn't stop him from continuing to yell. "She's not meeting any more witches. I don't want her near people like you."

"People like me? Are you serious?" Holly frowned, feeling almost offended that he would group her and her coven in with those witches trying to attack Allison. They were nothing like those other witches. "Eric, my coven is nothing like the Dallas coven, we don't use our powers to attack innocent people. And if you were paying attention to anything this whole, you would remember that we are only trying to help."

"She's right Eric, so please restrain yourself this instant." Godric ordered, pushing the taller vamp back down into the chair and this time he stayed put. "Holly has helped Allison before and she has never led us astray , so show some respect and behave yourself."

"Yes Eric, act like your a thousand years old and not like a toddler." Holly couldn't help; but throw this back in his face after he had been rude. "I only want to help you guys and it's only going to work if we all trust each other. Hence why I think it's appropriate to show that not all witches are the same. Just like not all vampires are the same."

"I think it is a fine idea." Godric agreed, shaking his head at Eric in disappointment. "When should we arrange it?"

"Godric..."

"Eric..."

"I think the sooner the better." Holly ignored Eric and instead chose to focus on Godric since he was more open to what she had to say. "I can get in touch with the rest of the coven tonight and we can arrange some kind of meeting in a few hours."

"That sounds good. Let's do it."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

"Ok, remind me again why we are doing this?" I whispered to Holly as she led me along with Eric and Godric, into a dark building on the main street in Shreveport without even the slightest inkling of uneasiness over entering a place that looked more at place on the set of a horror movie then on this street of stores. I stuck close to Eric, who hadn't said all that much to anyone on the drive over and just clutched his arm for safety reasons. I didn't relish the idea of meeting any more witches, but Holly assured me that this was a good idea and that her coven only had the best of intentions. And since Holly had more then proven herself, I chose to believe her and allowed her to pull me away from Eric and loop her arm through mine as if she knew I was nervous. "This is kind of creepy."

"Yea, it is, but we only meet here because we don't want to arouse any suspicion. We don't do any dark magic, just magic to strengthen our abilities and to protect us if need be." She told me quietly, shooting a look over her shoulder at Eric that said she was still annoyed with him for whatever was said when they had been talking earlier. Before we entered the second door that lead into the room, Holly brought me to a stop and turned to face me straight on. "Now there is just one little thing I want to prepare you for."

"If there is anyone remotely dangerous in there, I will kill them and make it look like an accident." Eric growled, baring his fangs at Holly, who simply rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him.

"There is no danger in there, just someone that I wanted to warn you about." Holly almost laughed as she said this which put me at ease because it couldn't have been that bad if she was close to laughing. "You see, the leader of this coven is an older witch named Trudy and she's very nice, almost like a grandmother so you don't have to worry. But the thing is, that she is very old and she sometimes tends to ramble about things that don't make any sense. So when she talks to you, don't take anything she says personally. Sometimes she indirectly hurts people's feelings."

"I think I can handle that." I replied with a relieved sigh as Holly nodded and opened the door, motioning for us to follow her. The room was fairly empty when we walked in, there was a few shelves and book cases set up but other then that there was nothing else taking up space except for the handful of people in their thirties and forties sitting around in a lopsided circle talking to each other. But as soon as we all stepped into the room, all faces shot towards us and that's when the chattering started.

"That's the girl Holly was telling us about...the one the Dallas coven is coming after..."

"But she is so young. Why is she being targeted?"

"She's a full blooded Faerie you idiot, don't you listen? That coven wants her powers, Holly explained it all."

"And she is involved with vampires, Steve Newlin must love that."

"That tall one looks mean...hot, but mean as fuck."

"Shut up Vickie, he can hear you. They both can."

"You know what? I think I will just introduce you to Trudy first before I make the introductions to the rest of them." Holly told me, taking me by the arm and leading me around the circle of witches made up of men and women. Eric and Godric remained by the doorway, eying the others suspiciously, but there was no air of danger in the room, and I could hear their thoughts very clearly and they were all pure. So I felt more relax as Holly directed me over to a wall across from the front door to a chair where an old woman with gray and white hair down to her shoulders sat with her eyes closed and her hands on her knees. She did indeed look like a grandmother and therefore any apprehension I felt was gone when Holly went to touch the woman's shoulders. "Trudy? I'm sorry to disrupt you, but I wanted to introduce you to Allison Stackhouse."

The older witch known as Trudy, opened her eyes slowly as if she had been in a trance and her pale blue orbs found my face and she began to look me over intently. She was studying me hard as if Holly had given her a description about me before this moment and she was trying to see if I was fitting that bill. But there was something in her face that threw me for a loop because the second her eyes met my face again, a small gasp escaped from her thin lips like she had seen something shocking and she reached out the take my right hand between hers. I had a brief moment of feeling like my grandmother was still alive and was holding my hand the way this witch was doing. She reminded me of gran so much that I found myself even more at ease. But what she said next erased all that.

"You're one of us." Her eyes didn't stray from my face and I could tell that every single one of the people behind us were listening in as closely as they could while she stared at me with my hand still clasped between hers.

"Excuse me?" I tried not to let the frown slid onto my face at her words because I remembered what Holly had said about this woman having a tendency to say things that didn't make sense, so I tried to shrug it off. "One of you? You mean a witch?"

"Yes my dear, that's exactly what I mean." Her hand was patting mine, as if I was her daughter and she was sharing some other worldly secret with me. She seemed so certain of her statements and she wouldn't let go of me as she spoke again. "I can sense it in you."

"Um...I don't know what you're sensing but that is wrong." I tried to keep my voice steady but I was being swayed by this woman. There was something about her that was making me wonder if there was truth behind her words. Was I a witch? I couldn't be, I had never been one and I had never even seen a spell book. There was no way, this had to be one of those crazy things Holly said she would say.

"Trudy, I don't think this is the right time to be frightening our guest." Holly cut in, taking the older witch's hand and tried to gently remove them. "You're not making any sense..."

"You haven't unlocked your real power yet." Trudy went on, not even seeming to notice that Holly was right next to her. "You're very powerful, no wonder that coven is after you."

"Uh yea...ok." I couldn't stop the frown this time and I tried to be as nice as I could when I pulled my hand back and not show how freaked out I was. "I think I know the extent of my powers thank you very much."

"No...you don't." Trudy countered simply, placing her palms on her knees as she shook her head like she knew something I didn't. "You're more rare then you know."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but you are mistaken in everything you say." I politely said to her, taking a step back as my heart began to pound. I wasn't afraid, but I had this odd foreboding feeling that had come over me the moment this witch laid her eyes on me. "I'm not a witch and I have never studied witchcraft in my life. I've encountered witches before, but I'm not one of them."

"But you're special. I can tell." Trudy insisted even as Holly pulled me away from her and directed me towards the rest of the group. "You're special Allison Stackhouse. And one day you will realize it."

"Ignore her, she is in one of her moods." Holly whispered to me, looping her arm through mine again. "Let introduce you to the others..."

But as Holly was pointing out the other witches, I couldn't help but look back over at Trudy who was still watching me intensely. I know Holly said that I shouldn't take anything she says very seriously, but there was something in me that said this time the old witch was believing everything she was saying. The only question was this one. Why did I feel like I should believe it too?

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"Eric? Are you ok? You've hardly said anything all night." I said to the tall vampire as he and I entered the bedroom of our house together after returning from the meeting with the witches and finally had the chance to relax. But that didn't quite seem like it was going to be in the cards for us because Eric had been distant the whole time we were in Shreveport with Holly's coven and he barely said more then a few words on the ride home. Even when the whole thing with that witch Trudy was going on and I was being introduced to the others, he still said nothing. And that was odd for him, because he always had something to say. But then again, this whole night had been off from the very beginning when I had first made that phone to Steve Newlin and now I was beginning to see just how distant and aloof he had become. "Eric, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." He replied coldly, his tone taking me by surprise as I watched him take a seat on the edge of the bed and begin to kick off his shoes. "I'm perfectly ok."

"Yea, you really seem like it." I frowned, crossing my arms tightly over myself as I looked at him. He wasn't alright and he wasn't ok. If he was, then he would be looking at me, he would be saying inappropriate things and we would be trying to have sex right now. But he wasn't doing any of that. "You know, if something is bothering you then you can tell me."

"I'm a vampire, nothing bothers me." He hissed, looking up briefly to send a glare at me like I had done something wrong. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been acting weird all night. So I know something is wrong. You don't have to hide it from me." I told him gently, walking over to the bed and placed my hand on his shoulder after he had removed his leather jacket. "I love you and …."

"Don't." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from him. "Don't say you love me. I can't take it right now. Not after finding out that we are fighting for our lives in less then 72 hours."

"You're scared." I felt my lip quiver when I said this, knowing I should have realized it before that Eric was not going to take this well. This was all becoming so apparently real now that we knew the date of the battle. And until that night was over, our lives and future were uncertain. And therefore, it was almost torture to him to hear that I loved him now when neither of us may be around to hear the other say that again. It was so incredibly sad and I had to reach out for him again. "Eric it's going to be ok."

Eric reacted so quickly and so violently that it took my breath away. One moment I had my hands reaching for his shoulder and the next, I found myself being pushed across the room and into the wall. Eric's hands clamped down on my arms, holding me in place while his face came close to mine his fangs shooting out just inches from my face. I felt my heart beating frantically against my chest but I refused to feel fear as I looked up at him. I know he was only doing this because he was breaking down emotionally and was acting on it through his fury over the situation. So I couldn't entirely blame him for that.

"I hate you for making me love you this much...i hate that you make me feel like my chest is going to rip open if I lose you." Eric was snapping this in my face, but it didn't stop me from wriggling my arms loose and reaching up to cup his face. "I can't lose you this quickly. I can't."

"You won't lose me. I promise you that." I felt my own chest tighten up further when his eyes began to rim at the edge with blood and brought tears to my own eyes because I hadn't seen Eric cry in months. And seeing him close to it now, just broke my heart. "Eric, I promise I won't die. I won't leave you. We are going to have a happy ending."

"If I lose you, then that's it. I'm done." He braced his hands on the wall on either side of my body. " I refuse to go on without you. I will not wander this earth any longer if you are not by my side. If you die, then so will I."

"That will never happen. We're both going to live through this because there is no way in hell that I will have suffered all this pain just to die now." I assured him, pulling his head towards my chest so I could hold him against me and he went willingly. I wrapped my arms tightly around him as we slid down the wall to the floor, sitting in a heap with him lying against me while I tried to soothe his worries. "We're going to make it Eric. All of us. No one is going to die except for those witches. We will have a future together just like we always planned to. I love you so much and I will not except either of us dying. Not now, not ever."

**A/N: the end is almost upon us...only 2 more chapters until the finale starts...**


	48. This I promise you

**Chapter 48 This I promise you**

"What do you think it will be like?" Sookie asked me the next day as the two of us laid on a blanket in the back yard of Eric's house and stared up at the fluffy white clouds set against the backdrop of the brilliant blue sky. It reminded me of would be like until the times when we use to do this when we were kids. But those carefree times were long gone and we were no longer kids. We were adults about to face a very scary situation. There was nothing easy about it. "What do you think it will feel like when we are all there on that field?"

"I have no idea. I've never even thought about it because I'm afraid of how horrible it could possibly get and I don't want it to give me nightmares." I replied, feeling that old sting when I lied as I laid there with my face turned upwards. The truth of the matter was that I had thought about it and probably far too often. But with the battle less then 48 hours away, it was only natural to think about what could happen. But I have never been in a situation like this. I had never even been in a school yard fight all through my years of school. I had no experience in fighting really except if you counted those times I had been attacked and had to fight back to remain alive. But that wasn't going to help me in this war. It was one thing to stand there and fight back when someones attacked you. But to actually go out and put yourself in the midst of a battle was another thing entirely. And I had no idea what that would be like until it happened. And until then, I don't know if I really wanted to imagine it. "It's going to be scary. I don't think I will breathe the entire time it is going on."

"I know what you mean, I don't hold my composure as well as people think I do." Sookie turned her head to look at me the same time as I did and when our eyes met, she smiled. "But I'm not naïve enough to think that it will all go perfectly. I know we all will get hurt and there's a chance we could all get close to death, but I don't think any of us will actually die. At least that's how I'm hoping it turns out."

"Well, in my perfect world, none of this would ever be happening. The world will just be leaving us alone instead of getting involved in our lives all the time." I grumbled, hatting that the universe just never seemed to let up on either of us. If it wasn't vampires or werewolves, it was witches and demons and god only knows what else was out there waiting for us. "Do you still believe in God?"

"Of course I do." Sookie nodded, showing she still had faith in the almighty powerful man upstairs who hadn't be kind of us our whole lives. "Don't you still believe?"

"I guess I never really had much belief after they way we grew up. I mean, if there really was a god, then why did he take your mom and dad? Why did he take my mom and dad? Why did he have Gran murdered for no reason at all?" I asked, giving voice to the doubt I had all my life. If there really was a god then why did all this bad stuff happen to us? I looked at my cousin. "Why is it that it seems like he is making us fight for our lives at every turn?"

"That's not god's fault. He gave us all our own minds and the freedom to act however we wanted and some people abused that privilege. But that doesn't mean this is all on god. God loves us all and if he didn't want us to live, then he wouldn't have given us the abilities we have or the people who could help protect us." Sookie explained, sitting up and running her hands through her loose hair. "God allows us to make our own choices, that was his choice."

"Well his choice sucked." I replied bitterly, not moved at all by her statement, but it did make me sit up right as a thought hit me. "But it is happening whether we like it or not and since we are on the subject, I want to confess something about the battle."

"Ok, go ahead." Sookie nodded, willing to let the subject of God go for now as she faced me.

"I don't want you to go into the battle." I blurted out, catching her by surprise so much that she frowned and dropped her jaw at the same time. "I mean, it seems crazy to have you go into a fight that has nothing to do with you and I don't want..."

"Nothing to do with me?" Sookie's voice came out hard and icy as she stared at me in disbelief. "You're my cousin, it has everything to do with me. And I'm not about to stand on the sidelines and let you go in there alone. No way, not going to happen."

"But Sookie..."

"No Allison, you don't get a say in this because it's not just about you anymore. It stopped being just about you a long time ago and now it's about everyone. And we're all in this together." Sookie was refusing to listen to me, taking on the attitude of the older cousin and thinking that her word was law. "You're not going into battle without me, no matter how bad you want to protect me from harm. We're family and I'm with you through this. We're going to come out on the other side battered but alive. And I don't want to hear anymore about it."

"You are crazy." I couldn't help but laugh at her bossiness but I knew she had a point. Nothing I said would keep her from being with me on that battlefield. So I just shook my head and sighed. "Fine. You win."

"You're damn right I win."

* * *

><p><em><span>Flashback<span>_

_"Sookie! Come in here please."_

_"Yea Gran?" Sookie asked upon skipping into the kitchen to find her grandmother sitting at the table flipping through a cookbook for something, but as soon she appeared, the book was shut and a smile was playing across the old face. Sookie couldn't help but smile back as she always wanted to do in her presence. "Is there something you needed?"_

_"Not at all, I just wanted to see how your date with Mr. Compton went." Gran stated, sending her a bright smirk that showed all her teeth as Sookie blushed red, and her grandmother nodded in triumph. "I guess it went well."_

_"I really like him, even though he's a vampire. It wasn't something I thought I could overcome but I guess I'm getting use to it." Sookie explained, thinking to last night of her date with Bill and how it was so much more relaxing then any other date she had been on. "And I actually feel happy for once."_

_"Well good for you sweetheart, god knows you deserve it." Gran said, slapping the cover of the cookbook to solidify her point before setting her elbows on the table and dropping her chin in her hand. "But it's not you I am worried about. I knew you would eventually find a good relationship, but sometimes I'm not so sure about your cousin. She doesn't put herself out there as much as she should. And I don't want her to be alone all the time. A girl her age should be experiencing things like dating and she doesn't do it. I don't want her to end up with no one."_

_"Well what about Jason? He hasn't been in a relationship for a while and you don't seem worried about him being alone." Sookie pointed out, thinking of the womanizing ways of her older brother and shuddered in disgust that the thought. But then she saw the expression on her grandmother's face and it made her ask "What?"_

_"Sookie, you know how your brother is. There is always a woman in his life even if he isn't committed to her. So he will always have company." Gran chuckled a little bit, having no problem referring to Jason's whore like ways. "But Allison just goes through life working and being with her friends and family. And I want more for her. I'm not always going to be around for you girls and I want to make sure she is always going to be protected. I'm not worried about you because you have always been stronger then you know, but Allison is so much more timid and that concerns me for her later in life."_

_"Don't worry, she will have me in her life and I will watch over her." Sookie assured her grandmother. "We're best friends, so its not like we will ever not be in each others lives no matter what happens."_

_"Still, I want you to make me a promise." Gran said suddenly,taking her hand between her two old ones. "Promise me that you will always look out for Allison no matter what. Even when you girls are married and leading separate lives, and you're as old as me, just take care of her. She needs you more then you know."_

_"I promise..."_

_end flashback_

"Sookie? Sookie? Are you ok?" Sam's voice came from far away in the distance but it did what it intended to do and that was to bring her out of her head and back to the present where she found herself sitting in hid office at the bar with him watching her with a frown. "Didn't you say you needed to ask me something?"

"Oh yea, I did. I just was distracted for a minute." Sookie shook her head, trying to clear the last remaining haze from her brain of that flashback and looked up to really focus on Sam's face. "I kind of need a few days off."

"Oh..." Sam seemed taken aback like he was expecting something else to come out of her mouth but he quickly recovered. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all." Sookie made sure to keep the cringe off her face when she said this because Sam had no idea what was really going on and she wasn't about to let him in on it. Too many people were involved in this battle and Sam had no place in it. "I just haven't had a chance to rest in a while and with the wedding happening so suddenly a few days ago, I just really need some time off. So is it ok?"

"Well yea, but are you sure that's it?" He asked, his eyes practically staring a hole through her. "Because I get the feeling that there is something you're not telling me."

"I promise you it's nothing. And thanks for the break. I should get back." Sookie quickly got up and headed for the door because if she stayed there longer then she knew he would get more suspicious. "See you Sam."

"Hey Sookie?" Sam's voice caught her before she could reach the door and she had no choice but to turn around and look at him. It would look weird if she kept running out when he was trying to talk to her. So she remained calm as she met his eyes and he said. "You know you can talk to me about anything right? No matter what?"

"Of course I do."

* * *

><p><em><span>That night<span>_

It was all going to change soon.

I could feel it beginning to creep up on me like a thief in the night.

The invisible hands of the enemy still back in Dallas were swiping at my spine, trying desperately to tear me down so I was weak and vulnerable. I think the thought if what could happen was probably worse then what actually would occur. But it didn't stop the thoughts from circulating in my head.

It was chilling...the things I was thinking about.

I had been sitting there in the living room staring at the fire for what seemed like forever but in actuality it had been only a few hours. I had tried to keep myself occupied when Sookie had left to go to work, but nothing I did seemed to stop the thoughts from trying to invade my head. I tried cleaning but the house was always kept spotless so there was really no point. I picked up at least half a dozen books, hoping that one would capture my attention to keep me occupied for a while, but each one ended up in a pile on the floor by my bed. I tried doing yard work, but much like the house, nothing was out of place and I just gave up. There was no use in trying to distract myself when my own thoughts were trying so desperately to come back in. So I just came down to the living room and sat at the end of the sofa closest to the fire and just stared into the flames while I thought of everything that could happen, everything that couldn't happen and things that weren't even a possibility but knowing my luck, would still find a way to happen. And this was how I had spent the last hours of the day, being stuck in my own head and not even realizing that night had fallen until I heard footsteps near the doorway and I looked up to see the tall frame of the vampire I loved.

"You looked so lost in your head that I didn't want to bother you." Eric stated, uncrossing his arms and flashed across the carpet over to the sofa and took the spot right next to me. I turned to look at him the same time as he did me and he was just propping his elbow up on the back of the couch before he asked. "I know you weren't having a vision because you didn't have that weird expression on your face. You just looked deep in though. Where did you go?"

"Just thinking...about the battle." I let out a heavy sigh as soon as I let this thought escape from my lips and I couldn't help but start to twirl my hair nervously. "About what's going to happen or not happen and its driving me nuts. I'm just...scared. Scared of an outcome happening that I may not be able to deal with. I'm just plain scared."

"I don't blame you." He responded simply, reaching across the space between us and took my hand in his, squeezing my fingers with his long ones in an attempt to comfort me. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid. We all feel it at this point. There's no shame in it."

Things went silent right after that and we just sat there with our fingers intertwined looking down at our laps. I listened to the crackle of the fire, finding some comfort in it but not as much as having Eric there. Him being near me was always comforting and I hoped he would always be there in the future. But thinking about the future made me remember that I couldn't do that as easily as I use to. The circumstances were different this time around and within 48 hours, neither of may have a future? Or perhaps one of us would and that was more likely to be Eric. But according to him, if I didn't make it through the battle, then he wasn't going to go on without me. And if I died and was looking down at him and had to watch him kill himself because he couldn't live without me, that would torment my soul in the afterlife. And I couldn't have that. And that was why I looked up at touched my fingers to his face.

"Will you make me a promise?" I asked him quietly, not having all that much energy to speak in my normal voice. It was like the immensity of what I was about to ask him to do was stealing my ability to talk any louder then I was. But either way, I had to get this out. "If something happens to me..."

"Nothing will happen." He cut me off so quickly that I barely noticed he had removed my hand from his face. "Stop saying and thinking that..."

"..if something happens, then I want you to make me a promise. And not just any promise, but a promise I would hold you to even if I wasn't here any more." I dropped my hands to my lap and never stopped looking at him the way I had been since this idea popped into my head. "I want you to promise me that if I die, then you won't try and follow me into death."

"No. Do not ask me to make that kind of promise." He shook his head rapidly so it became a blur almost. "You know I don't want to go on with out you."

"And that's exactly why I want you to promise me you won't try and meet the true death if I do." I placed my hands on either side of his pale face, feeling my eyes starting to rim with tears while I forced him to hear me out. "It would torment me in my afterlife if I knew you killed yourself over me. So please promise, you won't do it in the off chance that I might die."

"I don't want my life if you're not there." He stated, touching my chest over the spot where my heart was beating. "If I could never feel your heart again when I touch you at night, or hear it beating under my ear when we are laying together, then that would torture me."

"Please do this for me. Please Eric." I was begging him now, the tears streaming down my face as my hands dropped to his shoulders. "Please promise me you will go on and live. Don't die just to be with me. If I die, then live to get revenge on the person who took my life. And then go on until it is your true time to join me, because I will be waiting for you. But do not end your life if I lose mine. Make me that promise, here and now. Or I will never look at you the same way again."

"Stop crying." He ordered, bringing his hands up to my cheeks and flicked the tears away with his thumbs before sighing heavily. "I will tell you what I'll do. If you make the same promise if it happens to me, then I will agree to do the same for you."

"I promise." I whispered, hoping I could stay true to that if it happened, but I wasn't certain I could. I would try but I don't know if I could succeed.

"I promise too." He stared straight at me as he said this, so I knew for sure that he was feeling the same conflict I was. He would try his best to stick to it but it was different to make this promise when we were both still alive and didn't know if it would remain that way in two nights. Eric was tugging on my hand. "Come here."

I went to him willingly, climbing into his lap and curling my body against his while his arms went around me securely. I leaned my head on his chest, right over where his still heart was and closed my eyes. There may not be as many moments like this in the next 48 hours so I was going to savor it for as long as I could.

"I love you." I whispered against his neck, clutching onto his black shirt with both hands. "I hope you know that."

"I do. I never doubted that." He told me, kissing the top of my head while his fingers ran up and down my back. "And I hope you know I love you as well. I will love you until the end of time."

"Let's just hope our time doesn't have an end." I murmured, closing my eyes and hoping beyond hope that my words would ring true.

* * *

><p><em>flashback<em>

_"The time is drawing near Anna, soon we will be making a move to strike."_

_"They have no hope. They think they can outfight us with their army but they are severely mistaken. No one can beat us."_

_"But they have vampires on their side, vampires are quicker and faster then we are. They could snap our necks before we even have a chance to conjure up a spell to counter them."_

_"We always have plans waiting on the back burner." The lead witch named Anna spoke up from her chair across the room, her legs crossed over themselves in their black tights as she addressed the group. "So don't doubt the original plan. She will call and she will offer herself to us. She knows there is no other way to end this. It's just a matter of waiting for the right moment."_

_"And if she does call and we do go to get her, what happens if they have something planned? Something we didn't see coming?" One of the male witches asked, speaking to the great unspoken in the air. "What if she has a spell put on her that reflects any spell we might do to her? What then?"_

_"Then we do this the old fashioned way." Anna smiled slyly, reaching into the cloth bag hanging from the arm of the chair and pulled out a black handled silver dagger with a blade 6 inches long that gleamed when it caught the light from the flickering candles. "We make sure that if she doesn't give us what we want, then we kill her and make it so she can't get what she wants. Peace after death."_

_"And how are we suppose to do that? That dagger will just kill her, it won't curse her in the afterlife." Another male witch spoke up with a frown. "So how does that work?"_

_"Simple is always the best way to go. We curse the dagger so that way if we stab her, her soul will be lost between heaven and earth. She will never find peace." Anna smirked, running her finger against the flat side of the blade. "Molly! Get in here."_

_"Yes ma'am?" A woman in her forties asked, coming into the room with her hands clasped together nervously as if she feared this lead witch who was half her age. She stopped moving until she was in front of her. "You require my assistance?"_

_"More like your skills." Anna replied, turning the dagger around so the handle was facing Molly. "Take it and curse it."_

_"What?" Molly's mouth fell open slightly as she took the dagger and held it gingerly like it was going to shock her. "Curse it? Why?"_

_"Because I'm not about to let that little bitch get away without getting something in return. If she doesn't give up her soul, then she shouldn't be allowed to be at peace, even after death. So curse it, that way her soul will forever be lost if that blade enters her body." Anna stated, her dark eyes gleaming evilly. "And since you are the most skilled at spells and curse, I want you to do it so there are no mistakes. I do not trust any of these morons to do it."_

_"Right away." Molly said, slipping the dagger into its sheath before she started backing away. But it was when she got to the doorway that she looked back and asked. "Is this really necessary? Especially when we may lose the dagger in the chaos of battle and they could use it on one of us? Do we really want to risk that?"_

_"Yes we do." Anna's face flashed the deepest look of discontent at this question and the other witches cowered away except for Molly. "You have been hanging in the back when it comes to doing work with this mission and now your time has come. So please do it and don't stall."_

_"Absolutely, I am very sorry I overstepped my boundaries. It won't happen again." Molly assured her, leaving the room without another look back._

_She walked down the hall to the staircase, making her way down quickly and she didn't meet any of the other witches on her way and that was a good thing. She was finding it very hard to keep up the ruse that she was actually with them on this horrible plan. She didn't want them to kill that poor girl and she would have fought against them herself long ago, but it would be one of her against the rest of the coven. She had no hope of doing this on her own. And if she really wanted to take them down, then she had to do it by making it seem like she was siding with them. Only she wasn't. If there was one thing she was better at then spells and curses, it was pretending to be someone she was not and that was a ruthless killer. Anna had been getting on her nerves since the beginning and she had never taken it this far, but now she had and the rest of coven was going to pay. But first she had to make it seem like she was cursing the dagger, when in actuality she was going to do something else entirely._

_"You people have no idea who just messed with..."_

_End flashback_

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"I love you." Eric's voice whispered against the skin of my neck as we laid on the carpet in front of the fire while his hands roamed seductively over my body as they had been doing since we had stopped talking just an hour ago. We had moved from the couch, per my request and had been laying there watching the fire dance only a few feet away as he tried to get me to relax. "You don't have to be scared when you're with me. I'll take care of you."

"I know you will." I rolled over on my back, looking up at him with a small smile as I placed my hand against his cold cheek. He had indeed been trying to take care of me a lot lately and for a while it had worked. But with the battle getting closer and the clock was ticking, it made his efforts harder and harder to be successful. But I didn't want to tell him that. So I simply put another smile on my lips and said. "You're always taking care of me. And I love you for that."

"I have that effect on people." He grinned, his fingers drifting down from my ribcage and began to toy with the hem of my shirt. "But your reaction is the only I care about."

"Then go ahead and try to get a reaction out of me." I told him, staring into his eyes and practically begged him silently to just do something. "I need a distraction right now. All this talk about the battle and death is really getting me down."

"So allow me to pick you back up again." He replied, a spark of excitement flashing through his eyes and I immediately felt his lips press against mine while his hands worked on my upper half, trying to pull off the black tank top I was wearing. I should have been enjoying this, I should have had no other thoughts in my head except for how nice this would feel. That's how it should have been, but it wasn't.

Those horrifying thoughts hit me so fast that I never even had a chance to try and hold them off. They just came at me, filling my head and winding my brain with the same old fear I thought I had pushed aside for the past hour. But that wasn't the case at all. These thoughts were back and they stung worse then ever before. I was thinking about what would happen if Eric was the one to die and how I would always go through life comparing every other man to him. I thought about Sookie and Bill, Stefan and Damon, Godric and even Pam and how the loss of any of them would affect me. I was imagining the anguish and pain they could be going through trying to defend me and how their time would come before it was meant to. The torture they would endure, the emotional trauma of any of them losing some one they loved was just so devastating. And it would all be my fault. If anyone died it was going to be because this war was being fought over me. I would be responsible for any deaths on our side and that was not a burden I could handle.

And when that realization hit me, the tears came out unexpectedly and I started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh dear god, please don't cry like that." Eric said, sounding panicked as he pulled away from me, my top hanging from his hand as he sat up quickly with an unsure look in his eyes. I could see through my blurred vision the expression he was wearing on his face so he did know the reason behind my tears. But they had come so suddenly as he was trying to undress me, that he was probably under the impression that he had somehow hurt me. But he hadn't, and when he realized this, he reached for my hand and drew me up also into a sitting position as my body shook with sobs. He started tugging me forward, his face a mask of anguish as it was always was when he saw me cry. "Get over here."

"I can't...I can't deal with this." I cried, my entire lower jaw quivering like mad as I fell against his bare chest, taking refuge on his shoulder as his arms went back around me like they did before. "I don't want to face this. I don't want anyone to die. Please just let this be over."

"It will be over, very soon. And we will all survive this. I promise you we will." He assured me, holding my body close to his as I kept on crying. I felt bad, he had been trying so hard to end this night on a good note and I had to ruin it by crying like an idiot.

"I'm sorry." I found myself saying, clutching his arm with both hands. "I'm sorry I'm being so..."

"Human?" He offered, his voice going soft as another wave of sobs racked my body and his arms held me tighter. "It's ok baby, it's ok. We're going to get through this. I promise you. There is no doubt that we are going to come out on the other side. You just need to stay strong and we'll take care of the rest."

"It's too hard, I don't know if I can keep doing it."I told him, my breaths coming out shaky and uneven.

"You will get through this...you have to."


	49. Goodbye white horse

**Chapter 49 Goodbye white horse**

_The next morning_

"You're beautiful." Eric's voice was the thing that first welcomed me out of sleep when I opened my eyes that morning and seeing his face laying there only inches away from mine was what put a smile on my lips before he even could say another word. We had fallen asleep, or more accurately I had fallen asleep after my break down last night, and he must have moved me upstairs to the bedroom and by the time I had woken up about an hour later, I was ready to finally give in to what we both had been feeling all last night. And when we made love, it wasn't rough or animalistic. It was gentle and giving and so sweet that it reminded me of exactly how the first time had been. And it was so relaxing that it put me right back to sleep and it was only when morning had first started that I had opened my eyes again and it was Eric that I was waking up too, a rarity since he was usually in his resting place by now. But this morning, the day before the battle, he was still there, looking at me with the softest expression I had ever seen him wear.

"This is a very nice way to wake up." I replied, tucking the sheets around my naked body as I turned on my side to fully face him and I couldn't help but reach out and touch his beautiful face. "I have to be the luckiest girl in the world to have you at my side like this all the time."

"I think I am the luckier one." He said with a smirk, reaching behind me with his hand to allow his fingers to drift up my bare back. "I get to ravage this body night after night and I never bored of it."

"Well its nice to know I am able to keep your attention after all this time." I giggled, shivering from his touch. "And its even more nice to know that you are only in this relationship for my body."

"You know very well that's not all I am after." His face twisted deviously as he brought his fingers up to the vein in my neck and I could feel my pulse quicken, pumping my blood faster under his finger. "Your blood is a pretty good incentive to stick around."

"Now we're getting somewhere." I teased, knowing he was only joking about only being with me for my body and my intoxicating blood. If that had been the case then he wouldn't have been showing his softer side from time to time. He only did that if he really cared. So I knew what was between us was realer then anything I had ever known. "So you only want me for the physical aspects you gain?"

"Pretty much." He nodded jokingly, his hand laying against my cheek. "I am a selfish vampire, remember."

"Oh yes, I remember." I laughed, moving closer to him so our faces were closer to each other and I could see into the deepest depths of his blue eyes. If I could lay here forever and just stare into those orbs then I would, but there were forces beyond my control that were demanding my attention and would continue demanding my attention until after the battle. And that was why I pulled back a little bit and said. "You really should be resting right now. You need to have as much energy as possible for the battle tomorrow night. And staying awake when morning arrives is not good."

"I am going to rest, I just wanted to be here when you woke up." He told me, running his fingers through the ends of my long hair. "I wanted to see you one last time before I was gone for the day."

"That's very sweet." I smiled brightly, a complete departure to how I had been just last night. But I guess I needed to break down the way I had in order to release some of the tension I had been carrying around for the past few weeks. I moved forward, pressing my lips against his mouth for a brief but passionate kiss. I wished I could have let it go on longer, but Eric really need to be in his resting area so I had to break it off sooner then I would have liked. " I love you so much."

"Get back here." Eric took the back of my head and tugged me to him, our lips meeting again in a kiss that was probably filled with more love then I had ever felt for him. And when he was the one to break it off, he looked at me and said. "I have never loved anything or anyone like I love you. You're it for me, there will never be another."

"And now you have to go." I tried to keep the smile on my face as I watched him slip from the bed, pulling on his black boxers while I sat up with the covers wrapped around me. He sent me one last smirk as he headed for the door and I couldn't help but call out to him. "I'll be waiting for you."

"And I'll be counting down the seconds until I can return to you." He said, before he disappeared from the doorway and left me alone in the bed while I listened to his footsteps heading down the staircase and away from me, wishing I could have kept him with me always. But I would have to wait until sunset before I saw him again.

* * *

><p><em><span>A few hours later<span>_

This was it.

After this day passed, there would be no more time to delay the inevitable.

Tomorrow night they were going to war and there was no telling what the outcome would be. Whether they would be the victors or the losers. They could be standing there at the end of the night, battered and bruised, bleeding and broken, but alive. Or everything could end far too quickly and their lives could be over in the blink of an eye. Anything could happen at this point.

This was what Sookie was thinking about as she stood in Sam's office at the shelves where her belongings were and prepared to leave after her shift had ended just minutes ago. But the moment she walked into the silent room, all the thoughts she had been trying so hard to keep out of her head all day had come sweeping in the moment she let down her guard and now she couldn't think about anything except the war that was about to take place. She didn't know what to expect or even how to feel at the present time. She couldn't get too deep into any fear or apprehension she had been feeling or else it would take over and she wouldn't be able to pull herself out of it for a while. And she had to have her focus as strong as it could be or else she wouldn't last long in battle. And there was no way in hell she was going to be left behind, if Allie was going into war, then so was Sookie. This was all their fight now and they were all going to be there at each others sides until something came to pass, whether it be good or bad...

"Hey Sookie? Can I talk to you for a minute before you leave?" Sam's voice came from around the corner of the doorway of his office as she was untying her apron and getting ready to grab her stuff and leave. But when Sam walked into the door to grab her attention, she knew she couldn't refuse his plea to talk.

"Of course you can talk to me, I'm always ready to listen." Sookie replied with a smile as she undid the knot in her apron strings and tugged it off her waist and folded it. "What's going on?"

"I should be asking you that question." He said back, crossing his arms with a deep set frown as he walked into the room and kicked the door shut with his foot. "I know you said everything was ok and since we were just getting back to being friends, I didn't want to rock the boat by pushing the subject but now I just can't let it go anymore."

"Let what go?" Sookie asked innocently, but of course she knew what he was talking about.

"Come on Sookie, I know something is going on with you that you're not telling me about. I can sense it in you ever since you asked me for those few days off. Something is up and I want to know what." Sam stated, taking a seat in the chair by his desk and turned around in it to face her. "You're not in trouble again are you?"

"No Sam, I'm not in trouble." She shook her head, that statement not being a total lie since it wasn't her that was the problem lied with. But still, Sam was on the path to find out what was going on and she wanted to push him off if as soon as she could. "I just needed some time off that's all."

"No, I don't believe that." Sam's frown got even deeper as he leaned forward with his arms on his knees, the look in his eyes getting clouded with worry. "Something is wrong, I can tell it is because you have been getting more tense with every day that passes and I want to know the reason why."

"I think you are over-reacting, to be honest." She retorted as she reached for her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "If there was a real problem, then I don't think I would be able to hide it from anyone. And if there was any danger, then Bill would be looking out for me on the nights I am not with him, and he hasn't been in this bar in weeks. So I think you can relax and let this go."

"You do know you can trust me right?" He asked, getting to his feet and coming across the room towards her. "If there is trouble, then you can tell me and I will help you."

"Sam, there is no trouble. Just let it go." Sookie patted his shoulder as she walked by him to the door. "I will see you in a few days."

"I know you're lying." Sam's voice caught her before she reached the hallway and she turned back to see him standing in the doorway. "I know you are keeping something from me."

"You need to get some rest yourself because your imagination is going wild." Sookie told him as she turned on her heels and hurried away. But as she was heading out the back door to the parking lot, she couldn't help but wonder if she was making a mistake by not telling him what was really going on.

* * *

><p><em><span>Back in Shreveport<span>_

"Uh Allie...what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to concentrate, so please be quiet." I told my cousin later that day as we sat inside the living room of the house I shared with Eric while I tried to relax my body long enough to have a vision of where exactly this damn battle was suppose to take place. Sookie had shown up here not long after her shift at Merlotte's had ended so we could spend time together before Eric and Bill and the others interrupted us but after a few hours I began to entertain the idea of trying to see where I was suppose to be heading tomorrow night when I was separated from the others. I knew it didn't really matter because these witches would be able to find me no matter where I was, but I couldn't have them track me down right to the house and wage war in the backyard. I needed to see if there was a place away from here, because I did not want these witches to know where my home was. If something went wrong and I had to leave the battle, then they would know where I lived even if I didn't immediately return. At least if I was in a remote location then they couldn't discover where I lived. Hence the reason for trying to have this vision. But I was having trouble focusing my thoughts. "Hey Sookie, I need your help."

"Ok, what do you want me to do?" She asked just as I opened my eyes and she joined me on the floor, sitting in front of me by the fire so our knees practically touched and she looked at me curiously. "Allie?"

"I need you to help me push through because I don't have the strength to do it by myself. I need you to enter my head and merge our powers together so I can see past this block. The more Fae power that is in me, the easier it will be for me to see." I told her, reaching out for her hands and she seemed to get what I was saying because she was doing the same thing and once our hands were clasped together, I breathed out slowly and said. "Now just concentrate."

"I am." She told me, her fingers holding tight to mine and her eyes closed as she sat there with her legs tucked under her like mine were. I smiled and then closed my eyes, trying to merge our minds together as one, knowing we were more powerful together then we were apart.

It happened a lot quicker then I thought it was going to take. The moment we both connected our hands and forced our minds and powers together, the updraft of strength that rushed through me was hurtling me through a black cloud littered with hazes of white and gray. I felt a warmth in my hands and I knew she felt it too because her fingers tightened over mine but they didn't let go. I didn't know if she was seeing what I was seeing but I had a distinct sense that she did. Because at that moment, I couldn't tell where my mind ended and where hers began, our minds were the same and they were now being thrown forward to a small opening where I was beginning to make sense of the outline of something. It was still dark, but it wasn't a blinding darkness, it was just night time. Night time of when the battle was due to take place. This was it, this was the place, but where was it? I shot my eyes over the foggy landscape until my vision caught sight of a stone block. Only it wasn't a block or simply a stone. It was a tombstone. And there was a sigh bearing the faded name of Shreveport. I was standing in an old grave yard on this foggy night, this was where the battle was suppose to be fought...

"What are you two doing?" Eric's voice broke me out of the haze I was in, bringing both Sookie and I back to the present and leaving behind the fragments of the graveyard vision just as we both turned to the doorway to find Eric standing there with both Bill and Godric, all three looking at us suspiciously as Sookie and I broke apart from each other and stood up. "What were you up to?"

"She was helping me have a vision. I couldn't push through on my own so I thought having another Faerie help me might be what I need to see it and it worked." I explained, motioning them into the room as Sookie strolled forward to got to Bill. I smiled when Eric flashed across the carpet and immediately appeared at my side, his arm going around my waist and pulling me close to him. "I saw where the battle is suppose to take place."

"And I saw it too!" Sookie exclaimed excitedly, tugging on Bill's arm to force him down on the sofa beside her. "Our minds were fused together and I could see what she was seeing."

"Ah the magic of Fae minds is always fascinating." Godric replied with a smile, sticking his hands in his pockets while he moved over to sit in a chair by the fire while Eric and I took the other couch across from Sookie and Bill. Godric had barely settled down before he turned to me an asked. "So where is this battleground?"

"The Shreveport graveyard." Sookie piped up, obviously still jazzed up from the power she had tapped into with me and felt the need to answer Godric's question. "We saw the gravestones and the trees and in the distance there was a sign with the town name on it. So where ever there is a very old graveyard, that is where it is happening. And it's going to be really foggy tomorrow night too."

"Yea, what she said." I laughed out loud, shaking my head at my cousin's tendency to interrupt when she was emotional about something. "So now that we know where its going to be, you guys can find me faster once Holly and her coven put the spell on you."

"I still don't like the idea of letting you go there alone." Eric said, turning his face down towards mine, his arm getting tight around me to the point where it was uncomfortable. "I still think its too dangerous."

"And I told you that it will be alright..." I began to say before my voice was drowned out by the sound of the front door slamming open.

"Allison! Are you home? We need to talk." It was Stefan's voice calling out to me, but by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall towards the room suggested that he wasn't alone. And I didn't even get a chance to get out of Eric's grasp before the doorway was filled with the immortal bodies of both Salvatore brothers. Stefan and Damon wore the same worried expression but it was Stefan who answered the question that was burning on my lips. "We have a problem...a big serious problem."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, managing to wrangle myself out of Eric's arms and stepped across the floor passed the others to where Stefan was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Damon was standing next to him with a horrified frown on his face and he wasn't saying anything. I reached out for Stefan who was looking more panicked by the second. "Stefan? What happened? What's going on?"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He kept on saying this, as if he had already explained to me what was wrong. I had to grab him by the shoulders to stop him from what would have been a frenzied pace. But still he kept on shaking his head and repeated. "I'm really sorry Allison."

"Stefan please just tell me what is going on." I begged of him, hating that he was clearly in panic over something that I didn't even understand. But he couldn't seem to bring himself to say anything and it was Damon who stepped forward and spoke. And what came out of his mouth was something that took me completely and utterly by surprise.

"We need to return to Mystic Falls right away. We're leaving tonight."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"What do you mean you have to leave?" Allison asked him once the initial shock of their announcement had died down and she was able to speak again, this time demanding answers to understand why they were abandoning them on the night before the war. She had returned to her spot at Eric's side but her focus was on them. "What's happening in Mystic Falls?"

"We got a call from Elena." Stefan began, looking to the side at his brother who still wore the same concerned frown that had been there since they left to come here. "She's worried. Apparently these witches aren't just striking at us here, they are mounting attacks in Mystic Falls. And with each passing day, she feels as if the witches are getting closer and closer to attacking her."

"What are they doing?" Allison looked almost too afraid to hear the answer as she latched on to Eric's arm as she spoke. "Who did they hurt?"

"There have been suspicious fires and accidents happening all over town. People are randomly crashing their cars when there is no reason for it. Buildings are mysteriously going up in flames with no cause." Stefan explained, looking around at the others to see if they were taking it all in. "At first she thought it was just coincidence, but Bonnie felt that it was dark magic at play and that's why Elena was pushed to call us. She wants us to come home right away."

"Oh my god, this is bad." Allison slapped her hands over her mouth, looking immediately guilty. "I knew they weren't going to remain in the dark for long. It was only a matter of time before they did something else. I just thought it would be to one of us. Not to Mystic Falls."

"We both thought that." Damon answered, motioning between them. "Neither of us thought they would go after Elena, or try to."

"And now it seems like they are targeting her and there are no other vampires in the area close to her to watch over her." Stefan replied, feeling an upswing of panic rise in him as he thought of the girl he loved back at home with no one to save her. "And that's why we came here tonight. I know it's bad timing and it seems like we are deserting you, but we need to protect Elena, and therefore we have to return home."

"So typical of young vampires to bow out just as the going gets tough." Eric scoffed, not seeming at all concerned about the situation and Damon took offense to that as he moved forward with a frown. Stefan shot out his hand to grab his brother's arm before a fight could ensue.

"Eric, shut up." Allison snapped, looking at him darkly. "You can't give them shit because they have to go back to protect a loved one."

"Actually I can because they gave us their word that they would be here for this battle and now they are running off back home." Eric hissed, sending a glare at Damon as if trying to antagonize him.

"They had every intention of sticking this through until this problem rose up. If Elena wasn't in danger, then they would be here for tomorrow night. You would do the same if you were in their position." Allison said, releasing her grip on his arm and stood up, stepping around Eric and walked back over to him and Damon with a somber look on her face. "It's ok you guys, I'm not going to hold it against you for leaving. Elena comes first, so go home."

"I'm sorry, I know I said I would be here for you through this war but I don't have a choice." Stefan felt so incredibly guilty at that moment as she stood there in front of him saying it was ok to leave. He had made a promise to her and now he was breaking it. It didn't matter what the reason was, he still felt like he was letting her down. "But Elena is unprotected and I can't just leave her alone,,,"

"Stefan stop it. You don't need to explain anything to me, I understand why you're leaving. So stop apologizing for something you can't help." She said, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him in a friendly embrace and when she pulled back there was a genuine smile on her lips. "Go home and protect her and protect yourselves. I'm the one who should be apologizing, I'm so sorry it all came down to this."

"You're not the one to blame and we would never blame you for what is happening. Never in a million years." Damon spoke up, for once a serious expression was on his face. "You're not at fault for us having to leave and go protect Elena. And you're not at fault for any part of this situation. This was suppose to happen and its going to be resolved one way or another. And we will all be reunited soon."

"I hope so." Allison replied with an almost sad nod as she looked at both of them. "We're all going to get through this. Not one of us is going to have a bad ending."

"That's exactly right and when these witches are done with, we will come back. But we do need to leave now."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Sooo...you'll promise me to stay safe right?" I asked this to both Stefan and Damon as the three of us stood by the front door, preparing to say goodbye. I still hadn't fully processed that fact that I was having to watch them leave very soon but I was doing my absolute best to remain calm because Stefan already felt bad enough about leaving and it would just make things worse if he saw me cry. "You won't do anything stupid will you?"

"Do I look I will do anything stupid?" Damon asked with a smirk, trying to make a joke out of this tense situation by looking innocent. "I'm the good brother in this equation."

"Who are you trying to fool?" I couldn't help but smile at him, glad that even in the face of an overwhelming war, Damon still hadn't lost his sense of playfulness. And in a way I was thankful for that. "I appreciate the sad attempt at easing the tension, but I want you to promise me that you guys will be safe."

"You have my word." Stefan told me and I knew I could trust that he would stick to it because I had never had a reason to doubt his word before. And he was the kind of vampire who remained consistent and I knew I could always count on him when he made a promise. Now Damon on the other hand was the wild card. He may have had the best of intentions, but he was easily swayed by the temptation of danger. And Stefan knew that, which was why he turned to his brother and said. "Your turn Damon, and you better sound genuine."

"Well of course I am genuine." Damon rolled his eyes as if the idea of him being anything but genuine was a concept that was inconceivable. "I won't do anything dangerous...maybe."

"Damon this is not the time to be joking around." I begged him, grabbing his black shirt in both my hands and glared at him. " I need your word that you will be safe. You know I still care about you and if something happened to either you or Stefan then it would kill me.."

"Alright alright. You made your point." Damon stopped it with the smirk and removed my fists from his clothing and held my at arm's length. "I promise you that I won't do anything to endanger myself or Stefan. You can definitely have my word on that."

"Good." I said softly, feeling tears begin to prick at the edges of my eyes and I had to shake my head to hold them off. "I wish you guys weren't leaving but I understood why you are and I just hope this isn't a permanent goodbye for any of us."

"It won't be." Stefan assured, stepping up to hug me and I melted into his embrace, so incredibly grateful to have a friend like him. And I was just begging to a god I wasn't even sure existed, that I wouldn't lose him or any of the others. "It's not going to be easy by any means, but we will live through this. And when it's all over, we will get back together and see each other again as proof of that."

"I like that idea." I hugged him back, praying that his words would ring true. "Good bye Stefan."

"Take care of yourself Allison." He replied and stepped back so Damon could take his spot in front of me.

"You know how much I appreciate your sweet little ass, so you better not die or be hurt in anyway or I will be very upset." He said with his signature smirk, but it quickly gave way to a more serious look and he placed his hands on my shoulders to draw me forward. "But to echo my brother, take care of yourself. No matter how many inappropriate things I say, you know how serious I am about your safety."

"I know." I nodded with a smile and went to hug him, bringing us closer together then we had been in a while and that in turn brought on a growl of jealousy from Eric, who had been standing silently in the background with the others. He hadn't made a sound when I hugged Stefan, but that was because Stefan and I had never been romantically involved, and Eric wasn't threatened by him. Now Damon and I were a different story since there was history with us, but at the moment I was simply hugging a friend goodbye and that was it. "Goodbye Damon."

"Now you..." Damon didn't turn to leave like Stefan had and now was turning to look over my shoulder at Eric. "I have something to say to you personally."

"Oh really?" Eric stepped forward, his face guarded and ready for a fight. "And what would this something be?"

"You better take care of her and keep her alive. Because if I find out something happened to her, I will return and find some way to kill you." Damon threatened, also moving forward to make his point clear. If I hadn't been standing in his path, then I was sure he would have lunged at Eric. "You don't let her get hurt, I let her go because she felt like you were the better option..."

"I am the better option."

"So you say. Then prove it by keeping her alive and not hurting her like I know you will." Damon hissed, his face turning dark. "Because you're not the only vampire who loves her."

"Damon, don't start this please?" I begged, already seeing this about to unravel and if I didn't stop him now then things could get very bad. "Just leave now before you start a fight."

"I'm going, I'm going." He grumbled, sending Eric one last glare before he turned to Stefan and nodded. "Goodbye Allison. We will meet again soon."

"I hope so." I waved to the two of them as they stepped out the front door and with a gust of wind, they were gone. A trail of dust rising up in the driveway was the only sign of the direction they had gone in. And then the night fell silent and there was nothing left to remind me of my two vampire friends ever being here. "Well that's it. Now it's just us."

"We'll be fine." Eric appeared behind me, his arms going around me as he turned us both around to face the others. Godric was standing by Sookie and Bill who had their arms around each other just like Eric and I were and he was watching both couples protectively being as he was the oldest out of anyone and looked upon all of as a father. Eric clutched me to his chest as if he thought I was going to head out after Stefan and Damon and said. "This is it...we're at the threshold of war now."


	50. Waiting for the end

**Chapter 50 Waiting for the end**

_The next night_

"Things are going to change tonight and I am not so sure I am ready for it." I murmured to Eric as I laid next to him in bed with only a single sheet covering our naked bodies as we stared up at the ceiling and talked about what was about to happen. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't think anyone is truly ready for this." Eric said, his arm wrapped around my bare shoulders, hugging my delicate body to his strong chest. "It's just what is and we can only try and live through it."

"You sound just like Godric when you talk like that." I pointed out, lacing my fingers with his and sighed heavily against his cold skin. "I just don't know what to expect. I've never had to fight for my life before. It was different last year when I was in that church being held captive and the rest of you were the ones fighting. But me? I have no idea what I am doing."

"You just do what your mind and body tells you to do." Eric hooked a finger under my chin so I was looking up at him. "If you think you should run, then you run. If you know that you can protect yourself then you stand there and use all the power you have inside of you. You may not know what to do right now,but you will know when you're there."

"I hope you're right." I pressed my lips together tightly, staring deep into his blue eyes. "And you better kick some ass as well."

"Oh I most definitely will." Eric replied smugly, his pale face twisting into a smirk that reflected his excitement at getting to finally rip apart these witches who had messed with our lives. "I will be enjoying myself immensely when I get my hands on that first witch."

"You are something else, you know that?" I shook my head in amusement at his enjoyment over killing these people. "But I can't say I don't feel the same way. Because I was raised that when I am being hunted down, I fight back like hell to survive and I plan on doing just that. If I have to kill each and everyone of those witches with a flick of my finger then that's what I'll do."

"Wow, you are getting so feisty and violent." Eric's smug smile turned on me again a his hand was on my face, stroking my cheek. "I have to say it suits you."

"It's a temporary thing and let's hope I never have to be like this again." I sighed, turning my face to kiss the palm of his hand. "But I am willing to fight to the death if it means getting my life back to what it was. I didn't suffer this long and this hard to lose out on it now. And if I am meant to die, then I will not go down without fighting. I will die knowing that I at least tried to stay alive. What ever happens will happen. But I am going to fight like hell to get the ending that I want."

"Well it's about time that you began to have that mind frame." He laughed, raising his eyebrows before leaning forward to kiss me. "And once tonight is over, you won't ever have to think like that again."

"I can't wait to just have that first moment of knowing that this trouble is finally over." I closed my eyes, snuggling closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder, running my fingers through his. "After we are done fighting, can we go away together? Just the two of us?"

"Are you suggesting that we run off somewhere and continue this life of sin that we have been living for the past few months?" He asked, laughing slightly which was a welcomed reaction from the serious and tight lipped looks he had been giving for days. "Because I am totally on board with that."

"Of course you are." I rolled my eyes, tilted my head back so we could look at each other and I placed my hand on his face. "But you have to admit that it would be nice to just get away after the year we have had."

"You're right about that." He replied seriously, placing his hand over mine as his eyes went suddenly serious. "I love you Allison."

"I love you Eric and no matter what happens tonight, nothing will ever change that."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"You guys, it's starting." Godric announced to the group that was now assembled before him that hadn't been there when he had walked into the house just 5 minutes ago. But one simple sweep of his voice brought Eric and Allison down from the upstairs floor, soon joined by Bill and Sookie and a bored looking Pam to stand in front of him while he updated them on what was about to happen. He hadn't wanted to do this, to make this announcement. Because the moment he did, it would change everything. It was what he had to say that was going to push them right up to the line where their calmness met a war. And by the end of the night people were going to be dead, lives were going to be destroyed and changed in ways they couldn't even imagine. Things were about to go down and the only he could control about that was to give them a fair warning about the time that was left."I just got off the phone with Holly, and her coven will be arriving here along with the vampire army within 2 hours."

"So it's really happening." Sookie spoke up quietly from Bill's side, her eyes growing wide as the realization dawned on them all. "We are actually going to do this."

"Unfortunately yes." Godric agreed somberly, wishing with everything that was in him that he could change that fact, but he didn't have that power. None of them did. The only power they did have was to fight back and hope that it was enough to carry them through the night. "Within these next 120 minutes, both armies are going to be here at the house and we will be readying to finally start this. There is no other way to put it except bluntly."

"I hate this." Allison piped up, a hard bitter edge to her voice as she stood by Eric with her arms crossed. "I hate that you guys are all in this because of me."

"Don't even go there." Godric told her, shaking his head immediately to call off any further blame she might put on herself. "This stopped being just about you a long time ago. This war is about all of us and we are all in this equally."

"So what now?" Eric asked, taking charge of the conversation before Allison could come up with another statement to cast the blame on herself. He pulled her to his side before asking. "What do we do between now and when the war starts?"

"The obvious." Godric stated, looking around at the 5 figures in front of him with his lips in a tight line. "You all need to start saying your last words to each other because there will be no time once this battle gets under way. So I suggest doing it now before time runs out."

Neither couple needed to be told twice. Sookie was immediately swept up in Bill's arms and the two of them rushed passed him towards the back door, letting themselves out in the yard where they would probably be alone for a majority of the time. Eric took Allison by the hand and together, the very different pair disappeared back up the staircase to the second floor leaving him alone with Pam who had been watching both pairs as attentively as he had been. He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. He knew this was going to be the toughest part of the evening. The battle itself was going to be bad but in his mind, not as bad as these last few moments before it. It was going to be torture having to say goodbye to everyone but it was a necessary thing that had to be done no matter how tough it was.

"Look at this, they've abandoned to go off and do God only knows what." Pam said with a smirk, breaking the silence as she left her spot by the wall and came over to stand by him with her arms crossed over her black clothing. "And I guess it will just be us for now."

"I suppose you're right." Godric nodded, looking up at the tall female vampire and sent a smile her way. "You're a good one to have around in the face of danger."

"You're damn right I am." Pam said smugly, shaking her hair back from her eyes looking as arrogant as she always did before she raised her eyebrows at him. "So...should we have sex?"

"You are certainly Eric's progeny." Godric chuckled, rolling his eyes at the seeing the traits of his child in this vampire. It was an odd thing to observe but in some ways it eased the tension the night was beginning to build up. "don't be offended by this, but no thank you."

"Ha. No offense taken." Pam smirked, running her manicured hand through her long hair before eying him. "Beside, you're not exactly my type either. I was just bored."

* * *

><p><em><span>In the backyard<span>_

"So this is really it...tonight decides everything doesn't it?" Sookie found herself asking out loud as she sat on the steps on the back porch net to her husband and leaned against his shoulder while they both looked up at the stars. "Did you ever think you would end up fighting in another war?"

"Not for the second time in my life." Bill shook his head, his hands intertwined with her making a contrast with her tan skin against his pale skin. "But it's different this time around. When I was human and was in the army, I was fighting for the greater good, for people I didn't even know. And now I find myself in the same position, only this time its to fight for someone I know very deeply. So in some ways, this war has the greater outcome then any other that came before it."

"I just can't believe everything that has happened has lead up to this point." Sookie murmured, closing her eyes as she tightened her grip on her husband's hand. "I mean, I knew something big had to happen to end it all. But I guess in my perfect world, a miracle would happen and none of us would have to fight."

"I wish it were like that too, my dear." Bill turned his head and looked down at her with one of his gentle smiles. "But it is not a perfect world. It's a harsh and sometimes unfairly cruel world. And when things like this happen, we have to take matters into our own hands and decide our own fate."

"I suppose you're right, it just doesn't seem right that trouble lurks around every corner in our lives." Sookie sighed, thinking how there had barely been a moment to breathe before the next problem had risen. There was never any time to truly be happy or relaxed and enjoy the simple things in life. They were always kept on their toes, always trying to anticipate the next ax to fall. "I just hope that when this war is over, we finally get a chance to just enjoy our lives and be happy."

"I truly think that will be how it all turns out. So we have nothing to worry about." Bill said with complete conviction, leaning forward to kiss her waiting lips. "I have no doubt about how this battle will go. I'm not even allowing myself to think anything differently."

"Well, at least one of us is so sure. I wish I could be that certain." She admitted, squeezing his arm with both hands. She wanted to have as much faith in the outcome of this war as Bill had, but she just couldn't seem to drag it up out of her. "It's just so easy to worry about what could happen, who could get hurt or die. And we just got married. If something happened to you..."

"Whoa, hold on there. Nothing is going to happen to me." Bill's hands left hers and went to her face, holding it between his palms so she couldn't look away. "You can't think like that or else it will drive you mad. So stop it."

"It's hard not to think like that. The odds aren't exactly in our favor." She couldn't help but point out to him, placing her hands over his. "We don't know for certain that we're all going to be alive by the end of the night."

"But you also don't know for sure that we will be dead either, so there is no point in obsessing over something until it comes to be." Bill told her gently, leaning his forehead against her as the wind picked up and blew a cold gust against them. "But just because I believe we won't die, it doesn't mean I'm not afraid, because I am."

"I knew you were." She leaned back to look into his face. "You talk a big game Bill Compton, but beneath all that toughness, you are just as scared as I am."

"How very human of me." Bill's lips twitched into a brief smile. "I may be a vampire, but even I experience the pangs of human emotion. That's not something you can ever truly turn off."

"I'm glad you can't turn it off. I like that you're not afraid to be in touch with your emotions." She smiled back at him, touching his face with her fingers. "I love you. And I worry for you. I don't want to lose what we have so soon after we got it."

"You won't lose me and I won't lose you. I have fought too long and too hard to keep you. I am not about to lose all that on account of some witches having a power trip." Bill stated, his eyes darkening over in fury for a second before they returned to their previous calmness. "I know in my heart of hearts that I could never love anyone like I love you and I will not have that taken away from me this quickly. So just keep it in your head that we will not lose each other. Even if we are separated in battle, you always fight like hell to come back to me."

"I will, I promise." Sookie told him, knowing she would do just that. "I love you Bill Compton."

"And I love you...Sookie Compton."

* * *

><p><em><span>Upstairs<span>_

"Do you remember the first night we met?" Eric asked me from his spot over by the open double doors that led out onto the balcony outside our bedroom while I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him lie I had been doing since we came up here to get some privacy away from the others. "The first time we laid eyes on each other?"

"How could I forget? I couldn't stop staring at you because I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." I smiled in remembrance of that night only little over a year ago inside Merlotte's. So much had changed between that night and this one here that it was hard to count them all out on my two hands. There were just too many things both personally and physically that had happened in the span of these last few months that it made me dizzy to even think about it. "And as I remembered correctly, you were looking at me like I was going to be your next conquest."

"You did become my next conquest, it just took me forever to get you to give in to me." Eric replied with a smirk, turning around with his arms crossed and looked at me. "But that's not what I was getting at. That night was the beginning of the end of the old me, I just didn't know it."

"Oh I disagree, you never quite lost the old you. It still comes out all the time." I giggled, standing up and walking across the wood floors to stand in the doorway with him. "But you have changed, because from what Sookie told me about you before we met, the old Eric Northman never let any softness shine through. And you walked into my life and I walked into yours and its been a constant change for the both of us."

"I know. You are also so incredibly different from the girl you use to be. That girl was so shy and meek and barely had the courage to look me in the eye when we spoke." Eric recounted my former personality and even I could see myself through his eyes. The old me never would have been this close to a man the way I was with Eric. The old me would have shied away from this much intimacy, but now I was a completely different person. And Eric knew that. "And now you chose me out of every other vampire, shifter and human to be for eternity. The old Allison was as naïve as I was nice at that point. But somehow we changed each other."

"And all that we have been through has only brought us closer together." I looked out into the yard, feeling the cold wind blowing my loose hair back from my face. "You know sometimes, I think it was worth it to go through all that pain from our breakup just to get to this point. I mean, as horrible as it was, it was that much more wonderful when we got passed it and reached the level we are at now. So I guess all these things that have happened in the past year have really shaped us into the people we are today. And I don't think I would change any of it."

"Neither would I." Eric met my eyes and together we shared a smile before silence came between us and we each retreated into our own thoughts.

I was surprised about how I felt on this night. With all the build up to the war, I thought I would be having the mother of all melt downs. I mean, it wasn't all that long ago when I had been falling apart in Eric's arms twice in one night because of how terrified I had been about what could happen. And I had been preparing myself for an onslaught of tears when it finally got to the point where Eric and I would have to say our private goodbyes. But I was surprisingly calm at the moment, a reaction I was not expecting at all. Sure I was still filled with worry about the outcome of the battle and the fate of my loved ones, but it wasn't taking me over like it had before. Maybe because I knew I didn't have the time to fall apart now. If I did, then it would wipe me of the energy I so desperately need to make it through tonight. And I was grateful that I wasn't allowing myself to give in to that. I had been crying enough over the past few weeks for a variety of reasons and I was tried of it. I just wanted to stop feeling that weakness and begin to fight back. I wanted my life to return to as normal as it could be and I wanted to begin a new chapter with Eric. A chapter that did not include either us fearing for our lives or each others lives every time we stepped out into the world. And here we were, on the brink of war in that very predicament.

So far we hadn't touched on the real reason we were alone together. The time when we should have been preparing ourselves for our eventual separation that was coming all too quickly. He had avoided it for the simple fact that I knew it pained him to talk about. It pained me too, but I knew it was necessary to get this out. So I had to be the one to break the silence and bring it up.

So I did.

"This is it isn't it?" I asked out loud, my voice quieter and weaker then I would have liked. I looked at the vampire beside me and reached out and touched his hand. "We go to war tonight. And not just any way, but a war that truly decides what our futures are going to be."

"Yes." He nodded with a heavy sigh, his eyes looking off into the distance and I wished like hell I knew what he was thinking. Even though he had been honest with me as of late, there were still moments when I wished I could read his mind as easily as I could read everyone else's mind. His hand curled around mind, our fingers a tangled mess of tan and pale skin, but it looked natural to the two of us. Eric looked out the window again and sighed. "This war will decide everything."

"You make sure that you come out of it alive." I ordered him seriously, turning my body in his direction and smacking him on the chest to prove my point. I did it knowing my bossiness had no effect on him, but he grinned and went along with it. He had been doing that a lot lately and I knew it was mostly to soothe me in the moments leading up to the battle. But I had to make sure he knew I was dead serious about the little time we had left. "I mean it. I don't want your life to come to an end. Not tonight."

"We're going to war Allison. Something is going to come to an end tonight." He turned towards me with a sad smile before he reached up with both hands and cupped my face. There were very few times when I saw the real side of Eric Northman, but tonight, I was seeing into the very depths of his soul and even though he had done a lot of bad things in his life time, the man that he was today said all that needed to be said. "Things are going to change and people are going to die. But it wont be us. It will be them."

"And no matter what happens, you'll continue to go on right?" I asked, biting on my bottom lip as I brought back up the promise I had forced him to make only days ago. "You won't try and get yourself killed. Even if I..."

"Don't you even say it." He replied furiously, pressing a finger to my lips to silence me before he held me apart from him so the moon light was on his face and I could see the seriousness in his features. "It won't come to that."

"I hope not." I mumbled, moving forward and wrapping my arms around his midsection and laid my head on his hard chest, finding comfort in his arms as I always did. I heard a hum of pleasure escape from his lips as he pressed himself against me, enjoying the fact that we were in each others arms as if nothing at all was wrong in the world. I had always felt safest when I had these strong arms around me and Eric seemed to find the most peace when he was in my arms. And it both dawned on us at that moment just how sacred this moment was. This may be the last time we got to hold each other before the fight started and I wanted to savior every second of it. Because who knows if either of us would still be alive by the time the battle was over...

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

_"Hey Bill...can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked the younger vampire when I arrived downstairs and pulled him aside. "It's kind of important."_

_"Sure, what's going on?" He asked, turning to look down on me after breaking his stare on Sookie. I hated to take away his attention like this, but he was one of the people I needed to speak to before the battle. "What do you need to talk about?"_

_"Um, I can't talk to you here with the others walking around downstairs and upstairs. We need to go outside." I told him, nodding to the front door as I started walking towards it..._

"What is it Allison? Why did you pull me away from everyone?" Bill asked me as I grabbed him by the arm and started walking with him away from the house. The wind was picking up even more as we walked across the grass towards the driveway. We didn't go far, just far enough so we wouldn't be disrupted or overheard by the other vampires in the house and then I let him go. He looked down at me with a frown and tucked his hands under his arms. "What's going on?"

"I needed to say something to you before we went to war and this was the only other chance I would have." I explained with a sigh, running my hands through my hair before I looked up at him and smiled. "You know I love you right?"

"Of course I know." Bill nodded, a smile breaking out across his face, his posture easing up a little. "We're family. So I know you care for me just as I care for you. I think that's a given."

"I just wanted to say it before things got crazy tonight." I pressed my lips together tightly and shrugged. I didn't know how to deal with a moment like this. I never once thought in my life that I would have to go through a night like this one. But as uncomfortable as it was, I needed to say things that I might never get to say other wise. And speaking with Bill and letting him know how much he has impacted my life by the way he cared for Sookie was important to me. "You've been so good to Sookie and I am so glad that you guys were finally able to get married. She loves you so much and I see how you take care of her and I couldn't have asked for a better cousin/brother in law. You are truly a great addition to this family Bill."

"If I was human, I believe this would be the moment when I would blush or start crying." Bill said jokingly but the lightness didn't last long and he was soon looking at me curiously. "Why are you making it such a point to make sure I know you care?"

"Because I'm trying to cover all my bases in case I don't get the chance to say it to you in the future." I said quietly, setting my hands on my hips and looked towards the house where my cousin was and I swallowed hard. This was going to be the hardest part to say. "Bill, if the battle goes fatal and I don't make it out..."

"Enough. I don't want to listen to this." Bill tried to end it but I was determined to get this out. If anything, this needed to be said more then anything. This was the most important thing of all. But he wasn't ready to hear it clearly. "Do not say that something is going to happen..."

"..I need to know that you're always going to be there for Sookie." I charged ahead, ignoring his waving hands. I knew this was hard for him to hear and even harder for him to accept but it had to be said. If I could say it out loud, then he could stand there to listen to it. But he kept on swinging his arms in an attempt to silence me. But I would not have it. "Bill stop it. I need you to listen and promise me..."

"I'm not going to promise anything because it wont be necessary." He retorted, a look of anger passing over his face. "That kind of promise is just weakness because we'll all be fine. Everything single one of us is going to come back and we will go on and live our lives. And I don't want to hear any more of this bullshit."

"Bill..." I began to say but he cut me off again.

"I mean it Allison." He warned me, turning on his heels to head back to the house. "No more talk about death, I won't stand for it."

I watched Bill walk away towards the house and I just sighed. I knew he out of everyone would be the least likely to take this in stride. He was the one bound and determined to pretend it couldn't happen. He was so sure that we were all going to make it out alive. And while I loved that he had so much confidence in our ability to win this battle, I knew we had to prepare ourselves for the reality that it may not turn out that way. We had been shown what these witches could do and it wasn't logical for us to think that there would be no casualties when we went into battle tonight. There was going to be deaths, lots of them and while I would always hope that we all made it back safely, I knew that there was a big possibility that some of those deaths may be on our side.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?" Eric frowned in the darkness of his resting area as he turned to look at his maker, stunned by the first words that came out of his mouth when he had pulled Godric down here away from the others to speak to him. But when Godric had opened his mouth, it was to utter an apology that didn't even make sense. "What do you mean you're sorry?"

"For all that has happened between us this year." Godric said quietly, directly referring to the horrific reunion that had occurred when it was made apparent that Godric had been resurrected the subsequent fall out from that. It made Eric frown in remembrance of that night, a reaction that Godric echoed as well. "With this battle happening fairly soon, I just wanted to right any wrongs I may have made when I came back. Just in case anything were to happen, I want you to know how incredibly sorry I am for not telling you I could have been resurrected. That was one of my biggest regrets in my lifetime."

"Not as big of a regret as my behavior was." Eric grumbled in response, feeling a wave of shame for how he had been reacting in the weeks after Godric's re-emergence in his life. The fights, the insults, all trying to push Godric right back into the darkness because Eric had not been able to deal with the flood of emotions that had overtaken him. At the time, it didn't occur to him that his actions were out of line. It was only now when it was all said and done, when he looked back on it that he truly realized just how incredibly stupid he had been to be so mad. He had been mourning Godric for over a year, would have given anything to have his maker back. And then the one night that the universe had sent Godric back to him, Eric had the nerve to push him away. Sure eventually they were able to overcome it and get back to the way they use to be, but every time Eric thought back to those first few weeks, he felt such shame and knew he would never forgive himself for being so cruel. He looked at Godric and asked. "Can you ever forgive me for how I treated you?"

"There's nothing to forgive Eric." Godric stated with his steadying stare. "You only reacted the way any one else would have, including myself. There is no point it tormenting yourself over something that is not even worth it. It is done and over with and we have moved on. Leave it in the past where it belongs."

They both fell silent after that, allowing the darkness to enter their minds as they came back to the reason why they were reliving the past in the first place. This war was going to change everything very soon and there was no telling who was going to be alive by the end of tonight. It could be the witches all dying and no one on the good side would have lost their lives. But then again, the reality of it could be that some of the lives lost tonight could be on their side. Even if the coven was defeated like they had hoped, it wasn't likely that there would be no casualties on their side. Any one could die. Allison could be the one to die. Sookie could lose her life. Pam or Godric could have been the ones chosen for death. Or perhaps even Eric himself.

And realizing this possibility was what spurned him to break the silence.

"I need you to make me a promise Godric." Eric said sternly, standing before his maker with his arms crossed and ready to lay down the law even though he knew it didn't work like that. But this had to be said. And it had to be said now. "If something were to happen to me tonight..."

"Do not go there Eric." Godric warned, a flash of pain sweeping across his pale young face.

"I have to go there Godric, there's no use pretending like it's not a possibility." He shot back, overstepping his boundaries but he knew Godric wouldn't challenge him. Not when so much was on the line. This was one of the times when Godric would allow him to say anything he wanted, without risk of retribution. "If something were to happen and the battle were to go wrong. And my life came to an end, I want you to promise me you will do something for me in my absence."

"Anything, my child." Godric agreed although there was blood beginning to pool around the corner of his eyes. "What is it that you ask of me?"

"I want you to take care of her. If I'm gone then Allison will need someone at her side and I want that to be you." Eric stated, knowing that he wanted to be the one beside her but if he couldn't then he would want Godric to go in his place. If he died, it would forever torment him in the afterlife to know that Allison was alone. And Godric would make sure that didn't happen. "If I can't go on, then you need to be the one to love her and protect her."

"Eric..." Godric began, but Eric cut back in.

"Promise me you will do this." Eric practically begged, grabbing the shorter vampire by the shoulders and shook him. "Promise me you will love her and take care of her in the event that I cannot do it myself."

"I give you my word Eric." Godric swore, looking up as a lone red tear fell down his cheek. "I will take your place if something were to go wrong."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

_"Hey Eric? Where's Godric?" I asked the viking upon coming back into the house after talking to Bill and seeing Eric lingering against the staircase as if waiting for me. I grinned at him, the sight of that vampire always filling me with love no matter what the situation was. I walked over to him, seeing that he was alone and said. "The last time I saw you, you were heading off with him somewhere but now its just you. Where is he?"_

_"On the roof." Eric answered back as if it were no big thing that someone we both knew was hanging out on the highest part of the house like it posed no danger and being that he was a vampire, I guess it wouldn't hurt him. But still I was taken aback._

_"Why is he up there?" I asked curiously, leaning against the banister next to Eric while I tilted my head to look at him._

_"He wanted to find some peace in the moments before we went into war. He didn't want it to be like this and he needed time alone. " Eric told me, his hand brushing against my arm on its way up to my face. "But I think seeing you would do him some good."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes, really."_

" Godric?" I called out to the 2,000 year old vampire as I walked across the roof of the house over to where he was standing at the edge and stood beside him. It had taken a lot of courage to come up here on the roof. Not because I was afraid of what would be said between us, but because I was afraid of heights, even though we were just on a balcony that led out from the highest part of the attic. It still freaked me out, but I tried to hold that back when I was standing there beside him. "Are you ok?"

"How did it come to this?" He muttered, his eyes never leaving the horizon as he seemed to search the distance for answers. "How did it comes down to a war? How did it come to be that we would all have to be fighting for our lives? How could it possibly happen that the world is full of such hatred?"

"People have their own minds and opinions and that dictates their actions, even if they are wrong. But if we know that what we're fighting for is the right thing, then I know we will be ok." I told him, crossing my arms in the cool night air and looked at him. "The world is full of bad things Godric. But it is also full of wonderful things. Things like...people loving their friends so much that they would lay down their lives in order to protect them. That's one of the truly most beautiful things about this world. That even in the face of overwhelming odds, there are still people willing to fight for what is right."

"Your optimism never ceases to amaze me." Godric sighed, looking at me for the first time that night and he smiled. "I hope this battle doesn't take that away from you."

"I hope this battle doesn't take away any lives." I frowned, thinking about what was lying ahead of us and I shivered. Even with the ability to have visions, I couldn't completely see what was going to happen. I didn't know who for sure was going to die and who was going to live. The future in that sense was too unpredictable. It could go either way. One of us could die or we all could. Not everyone was going to make it. But until that moment came to be, I was going to make sure everyone did their best to avoid passing on, including Godric. I turned to him and asked shakily. "You'll be careful right?"

"Always." His grin grew more gentle and loving and he lifted his hand and placed it on my shoulder, his fingers squeezing me gently. "Do not worry about me."

"Because if you get yourself killed then I will figure out a way to bring you back again." I said with conviction, making sure that he knew I was completely serious. Because I had never been more serious then I was right now. If Godric wasn't careful and wound up getting killed, then I would do everything in my power to resurrect him again, just so I could yell at him. I kept that stare for a while before I relaxed and grinned. "Because if you die, I swear to God, I will resurrect your scrawny ass. And then kill you myself. Do you understand?"

"I never thought I would see the day when a Faerie would be threatening me." Godric grinned, his strong hands reaching out and pulled me in for a hug, settling my cheek against his hard chest before he spoke again in assurance. "I wouldn't even think about not returning to you. So do not fret. All will be well."

* * *

><p><em><span>20 minutes later<span>_

"It's time." Godric announced upon coming in through the back door and into the hallway where we all were gathered in a huddle before he addressed us again. "They're here."

Not one of us needed to question what he meant by that because we all understood his simple words perfectly. We knew what he would say the moment he came back into the house because we had heard the commotion going on out in the backyard. The sound of over two dozen vampires milling around in the grass was a clear indicator that the time had gone to bid farewell to each other. Holly's coven had arrived just 10 minutes ago and was now waiting in the library for further instruction. Eric and I were standing together, wrapped in each others arms just like Sookie and Bill were while Pam stood against the wall observing this all with a blank expression. This was it, it was about to be put into place, the fate of our lives. And with Godric coming back into the fray, it just solidified that all the attacks and pain and anguish had finally led up to this point and it was finally the moment we had been waiting for and dreading at the same time. And I dreaded it even more just as every face in that front hallway turned to focus on me.

This truly was the beginning of the end. But the end of what, was something I did not know.

"Don't look so worried you guys, it's going to be fine." I assured them, even though my heart was pounding wildly inside of me as I untangled myself from Eric's arms and stepped away to the first person I came in contact with, which just so happened to be Godric. I grinned at the slightly taller vampire, seeing the worry in his young face as I opened my arms to him and he came to me willingly. "I'm not going to say goodbye because goodbye is too final. So I will settle for seeing you later."

"That sounds about right." Godric replied, his voice quiet as he held me to him. I could feel through our bond just how worried he was, there was no hiding it from me on this night, but I did not call attention to it and instead chose to try and maintain composure. He seemed to want to do the same as he pulled back from me with a small smile. "You stay safe little girl."

"I will." I nodded, letting go of the fact that he had called me a little girl but that was how Godric saw me and I doubt that would ever change. I let go of him, moving towards the next body and I was surprised beyond all hell when I looked up and saw Pam standing before me with a now deep set frown on her pretty face. I couldn't help but smile and shake my head at this. Pam and I did not have the best history and we did not always get along. But when it came down to the line, I knew in my heart of hearts that Pam would defend me to the bitter end. And because of that, I could never truly dislike her. I looked up at her and surprised us both when I reached out and took her pale hand in between my hands. "You may be a pain in the ass, but I know that you will pull through for me when it counts. So thank you for that."

"Thank me when you walk back into this house alive." She ordered me, sounding serious for the first time in a while and she squeezed my hands back before dropping them. "You better not die before I get the chance to tap that sweet ass of yours."

"Never going to happen." I rolled my eyes at her, but I was amused that even as I was about to walk into the night to face these witches alone at first, she still found it possible to make a joke. And in a way, it was calming. I kept that in mind as I spotted Bill coming towards me and grinned when I saw that he was smiling at me, our previous conversation seemingly having no effect on the present as he enveloped me in a tight hug. "Thanks for the talk Bill. I needed to hear someone have that much conviction in our future."

"It's the truth, you know. None of us are going to die. I believe that with every fiber of my being." He told me, the certainty evident in every sound his voice made as we pulled apart. "We just became family and I will not lose it this quickly. And you hold on to that as well."

"I will." I promised, squeezing his hand before looking around him to the second most important person in my life standing there waiting for me.

Sookie didn't even say a word and just moved forward passed her husband and embraced me as tightly as she had done every other time in our lives before any of this had happened. I didn't even have to read her mind to know what she was thinking, I could feel it in her body as she hugged me. I felt the love and protectiveness that had been there since we were kids. Even though I was only two years younger, she had always been the one to look out for me as if I was always going to remain a child. She never stopped loving me no matter what fights we got into or whatever tragedies we were forced to endure. She had always been there for me when I needed her and I knew when we made it through this war, that would never change. No matter what when on in our lives, she would be my rock and my person forever. She was my cousin, my sister, my best friend. Nothing would change that ever.

"I love you." I whispered when I pulled away from her, knowing any more time spent lingering would take away from the last moments I had with the one person who had not said a word this whole time.

Eric.

I had done a pretty good job at maintaining my composure as I was talking to the others, but the moment I moved back on over to Eric, I could feel myself starting to fray at the edges. With each step I took, my lower lip quivered that much more violently, my eyes filled with more tears until it got to the point where I couldn't even see clearly but that didn't matter because as soon as I was within arms distance, I felt his hand reach out to me to pull me forward. I didn't fight him off because I wanted to cherish these last few minutes with him and when he took my face in his hands, he pressed his lips against mine for what may be the last time. This was what pushed me over the edge and I instantly started crying, but it didn't keep me from kissing him back and loving the feel of his lips on mine. I could never get tired of tasting those lips, not even if a hundred years passed. I would still be completely infatuated with kissing him even when we were on the verge of war and there was a handful of people standing in the same hallway as us. I didn't care at all. All I could think about was kissing him back and making sure he felt the same amount of love coming from me that I felt coming from him. And I knew he did, because when he finally pulled back and allowed me to come up for air, there was the faintest hint of a smirk on his face.

"It's all going to be over soon and I will get to ravage you even further." He whispered into my ear, earning a groan from both Bill and Godric and a sigh of disappointment from Pam. His hands still lingered on my face when our eyes met. "We will be together again very soon."

"I know." I nodded, moving forward so I could wrap my arms around his midsection, holding onto him as tightly as I could manage before I knew I would have to let go. "I love you."

"I love you, my beautiful Faerie." He said back just as I knew it was time to go. I removed myself from his embrace, my hands sliding down his arms to feel as much of him as I could as I began to back way to the open front front door. But when my fingers slipped over his hands, instead of letting me go, he grabbed hold of my hand and refused to drop it. I looked up at his face, a dark and somber look in his eyes as he shook his head. "I can't. I can't let you go."

"It will be alright Eric." Godric piped up, suddenly appearing at the spot with us and it was his hands that reached out this time and it was his hands that removed Eric's grip on me. When I was free, Godric placed both hands on Eric's arms and shook his head. "It's time Eric. You need to let her leave."

"I'll be seeing you guys soon." I told the rest of the group, trying to keep my eyes off Eric's struggling form behind Godric as I backed out the door, grabbing the handle on my way out before I spoke one last time. "Don't take too long to join me."

I had only let the door slam shut for a second before I heard Eric starting to shout out in an angry rant in his native tongue. He was hurting already just from this separation and I wished more then anything that I could go back in there and wrap my arms around him and refuse to leave. But I couldn't. I had to push myself to walk away or else I would be putting everyone in danger by staying here. So I turned on my heels and walked down the front steps and across the grass to the taxi waiting for me at the top of the driveway. I barely got in before I was telling the driver where to take me.

"Shreveport Memorial Cemetery." I said quietly, leaning against the window as it started to pull away. I turned my head, to look through the back window at the house as the taxi drove away and I sighed sadly because I knew there was a chance that I may not return. But there was still the off chance that I might and I had to cling to that. Because there really was no way of telling what was going to happen. But something would happen.

This war was deciding all our fates and it was about to start the moment I arrived at that graveyard.


	51. War is the answer

**Chapter 51 War is the answer**

"This has got to be the creepiest thing I have ever done." I whispered to myself as I passed under the old metal sign at the entrance of the graveyard and watched as the taxi drove off down the road, leaving me alone in this dark and foggy place lit up by only a few aged lights. There had been many times on the drive here when I had been tempted to tell the driver to turn around and take me back to the house. The temptation had been so heavy that I had been on the verge of grabbing the guy's shoulders at one point. But something in me forced my body to remain still in that backseat and I didn't do anything to stop my journey to this cemetery. And now as I watched the cab disappear around the corner, leaving me truly alone, I cursed myself for not being chicken enough to bow out of this. But it was too late. I was here now and it was time to await my fate.

I walked through the entrance and headed down an old dirt path that wound along the length of an old iron fence. I took in the sights of the gravestones, their stone bodies thin and suggesting their age was immense. The inscriptions on the fronts were faded so I couldn't even make out more then a few letters. I wrapped my arms around myself and kept walking, keeping my eyes and ears alert for anything that would resemble danger but there was nothing. It was just me alone in this graveyard on a foggy, dark night. If there wasn't so much at stake, I would find this situation amusing. After all this was like a scene directly out of a horror movie. I was the young defenseless girl walking alone in a cemetery, basically just asking for something to come out and attack me. But with my ability to hear thoughts, I knew that for the moment I was truly alone and that was good. It meant I had gotten here before the witches had and when they showed up, they would think I had followed the plan. I just hoped the others got here on time like they were suppose to.

"I never wanted to be in another graveyard for a good long time." I said out loud to myself, finding comfort at breaking the silence and seeing my breath in the air in front of me. I sat down on an old wooden bench against the iron fence, my twisted hands in my lap as I waited for whatever was to come. I tried not to be too bothered by the fact that I was surrounded by old graves that had been here for years before I was even born. I hate graveyards with a passion and with all the deaths in my family, it wasn't hard to understand why that was. I only went into a cemetery when I was with Sookie visiting our Gran's grave site. But that was it. I never imagined that the night I would be fighting for my life was going to take place in a place where people who had lost their lives were now resting. It was kind of the irony of ironies.

The wind picked up at the moment, blowing a icy chill across my body and I quickly wrapped my arms around myself to stay warm. I would have brought a coat with me, but any extra clothing would have gotten in the way once the battle started. And any second spent trying to pull it off could be the seconds that lead to my death. So I had taken up the notion of I would rather be cold while I was waiting for these witches rather then be warm and risk it being a detriment when the fight started. But now that the wind was whipping my loose hair across my face and my body was starting to shake, I was beginning to think I was a complete idiot. And I would have said that out loud had it not been for the whispers of thoughts I began to hear crackle inside my head.

_"It's her! It's the girl."_

_"I can't believe she actually came. I was certain she would chicken out by now but no. There she is waiting for us. How nice. This makes it easier."_

_"I guess there was no reason to deploy the entire coven here since she obviously showed up alone. But until we physically have her in our grasp, I'm not relaxing."_

_"This is going to be all kinds of fun."_

It only took a few seconds before I saw them and when I did I found my mouth dropping open in shock.

There were more of them then I had been expecting to see. I knew this was the Dallas coven even if I hadn't heard their thoughts and also because I knew none of the people striding towards me. They were all strangers, none of the witches in Holly's coven. There were young and old witches. Some not much older then me and some that were as old as my grandmother had been. There were both male and female witches, most of whom looked to be in their mid forties. They were all dressed in black as if that singular color was meant to reflect the darkness in their souls. And even from this distance, I could sense that darkness, it filled my head and I was surprised at the cruelty and insanity that was going on inside of them. I was immediately brought to my feet as I faced the open graveyard and the coven of witches all the way on the other side of the field. They were being slow on purpose, I got that much from reading their minds and in the forefront there was a redheaded girl, that looked to be not much older then me who appeared to be their leader. I knew that because she looked back at them and said something to make them pause and they remained that way while she continued to stroll forward.

I stood still even though I was hit with the desire to turn around and run. I couldn't run, not now when it was all about to go down. As scared as I was, I would need to appear calm and somber, like I was ready to hand over my life to this coven without a fight, when in actuality it was the complete opposite. The redhead walked toward me with the most twisted and cruel smile ever on her face that made me step back. I thought I had seen crazy and insane on Eric's face before but that was nothing compared to this woman as she came to a stop a few feet away from me with her hands on her hips and her dark eyes staring intently into mine.

"Well I have to say that I am quite surprised that you actually showed up here in the first place." The red head said to me with a flick of her hand. "And what's even more shocking is that you are here alone. I was so certain that you would make an attempt to fight back."

"I made a deal with Steve Newlin and I intended to stick to it as long as he did." I told her, getting from her thoughts that her name was Anna. And that made me frown. That was such a nice, sweet name for a girl. And she was no where near being considered nice or even sweet. She was dark and violent and was driven by insanity to get what she wanted, which was me. And she scared the crap out of me but I couldn't let that show. "I told him I would give myself to his witch army as long as he left my loved ones alone. And I won't put up a fight if you do that. You leave them alone and I will come willingly."

"Of course you will." Anna cackled, seemingly amused by my statement but I knew if I kept her talking then it would delay time enough to give the others the minutes or seconds they needed to show up. Anna stood there and studied me like I was a textbook she was trying to figure out and for the briefest of seconds, she appeared confused. "What are you?"

"You know what I am. Or else you wouldn't be so interested in me." I shot back, my voice more wobbly then I had wanted it to be but I remained calm, keeping my composure steady. "I'm a full blooded Fae, that's all."

"No...no you're not. You are more then just one of the Fae. You are something else." Anna's voice was almost dreamy as she looked at me, her hands twitching upward like she wanted to touch me. "Why is it that you feel like one of us?"

"I'm really getting fucking tired of people saying that." I growled, finding an inner strength as I fired back at her. This was the second time that I had been told I had some kind of connection to witches inside of me. And just like the first time, it freaked me out. "I'm not one of you. I am not a witch."

"There is something there, a power that is hidden." Her forehead furrowed in concentration. "You have abilities that even we don't. Perhaps you are more special then you know. We will gain a lot from you."

"Whatever you say, but I don't have any other untapped abilities." I hissed, eying the crowd of witches in the distance before I looked back at Anna. "I said I wouldn't fight and I won't. I just don't want anyone I love to get hurt anymore."

"How noble of you. I was almost hoping you would try and fight because that would make it even more fun for me but I guess you are going to deny me that pleasure. Oh well." Anna shrugged her black covered shoulders and threw her hands in the air. "Looks like you're going to keep up your end of the bargain. Now give yourself to me and I'll make sure it doesn't hurt too much when I kill you."

I went to step forward and that's when all hell broke loose.

I had barely taken one step when I heard a collective gasp come from the Dallas coven and from Anna. At first I thought it was because they were surprised and thought I was giving myself up but I saw the look in Anna's eyes and they were focused on the space behind me. My head shot over my shoulder and to my surprise I was starting to see bodies starting to pop up all over the place. My eyes landed first on Holly who had appeared first only a few feet away followed by the emergence of every male and female in her coven. And then came the vampires, showing up in clumps behind them, fangs bared and their faces dark and ready for a fight. It all happened so fast that I barely even realized that the people I loved were showing up behind me. Godric arrived first, looking more scary then I ever thought he could look and then Bill with Sookie came next, side by side and each sending me looks of relief that I was still alive. And finally, Pam was there with Eric, who upon seeing me nearly melted to the ground in happiness.

"You bitch." Anna gasped, drawing my attention forward again as she was now eying the large army standing opposite her as she began to back away. "You tricked us."

I didn't waste another moment and threw my hands out in front of me, the white light shooting out fast and hit Anna square in the chest, sending her flying backwards across the grass and away from us. I didn't even stop to see where she would land because the second I dropped my hands, the vampires rushed passed me just as the Dallas coven began to charge.

* * *

><p>"Now it's time to play." Eric found himself saying out loud as the two groups began to clash, watch in earnest amusement as the air was filled with screams of pain and shouts of triumphant as the other vampires had started their attack. Allison had disappeared as soon as the fight had started and through their blood bond, he knew she was ok. He wanted to stick close to her side, but he knew that could be detrimental to the both of them. So he had let her go while every one else scattered to do their part. Holly and her coven had already cast the spell to trap both armies in the graveyard and surrounding field before putting a spell on their army to halo them in electric blue so they could all tell each other apart. No one would be getting out until one of the groups had defeated the other. It wouldn't take long being as that bodies were already starting to pile up all over the place.<p>

"Oh I could have fun with you." A female voice spoke up from his left and he cocked his head to the side to see a tall brunette standing there a few feet away, looking like she was ready to take him. "It will be shame that I have to kill you."

"I would like to see you try." Eric smirked, feeling the old rise of a challenge wash over him as he pivoted his body to face her full on. "I'm faster then you, I could kill more quickly then you could kill me."

"We'll see about that." She hissed, raising her hand toward him just as her eyes glazed over in blackness and she began chanting in an ancient tongue that he did not recognize. She was casting a spell, a spell that was beginning to ravage a horrific pain through out his body that would become so great that he would be paralyzed to the ground. He had to act and act now before she could do any damage.

He flashed forward, pushing through the pain her spell was casting on him until he reached her. Once she was within arm's distance, he grabbed her, his speed taken her by surprise and her concentration was broken. She screamed just as he yanked her head to the side and quickly sank his fangs into her smooth neck, feeding on the frenzied, pulsating blood as long as he dared. He didn't like to feed on anyone else these days except for Allison. But the more blood he consumed, the stronger and faster he would be. So he drank her, clutching her to his chest so she couldn't get away. And before he could kill her by drinking all her blood, he stopped. The brunette stopped whimpering, almost like she was thinking he was going to let her go but that wasn't the case at all. As soon as he released her, she went to run but he was quicker and brought his hands to either side of her head. With a quick twist and tug, he ripped her head from her shoulders as easily as it had been cork and her blood splattered all over him as the body fell to the ground while he clutched the head in his fist. The sight of which brought him great joy as he knew they were one step closer to ending this.

Not too far away he spotted Godric toying with a male witch as if playing a game. He watched his maker continue to run in circles around this male, taunting the witch with his speed while the man tried to cast a spell on him. Eric was just thinking about rushing forward to help Godric when he was stopped by the sight of what was going on in front of him. Godric did not need any help as he came to a stop behind the man and just when the witch turned around to face him, Godric didn't waste a second before he shoved the entire length of his arm through the witch's chest, his fist coming out through the guy's back with a bloody organ in his hand. Godric let out a maniacal laugh before ripping his arm back out and the body fell to the ground at his feet while Godric clutched the witch's heart in his hand before tossing it in the dirt as if it were nothing. Eric couldn't help but stare in surprise at his maker's sudden and violent actions.

"Uh...that was fairly gruesome." He stated, joining Godric at his side as they surveyed the scene. There were dead bodies lying across the grass in all sort of states of raggedness. But the most disturbing was the witch Godric had just killed since he had been able to do it so easily. He had seen Godric in war before, but it had been a while since his maker had had to be so ruthless and violent. It was quite a change from his calm, serene demeanor. "I can't remember when you were last like this."

"Sometimes a situation calls for a change in character." Godric shrugged in explanation, wiping his hands on his dark pants before looking up. "But now is not..."

"GET BACK HERE BITCH!" Bill's voice erupted through the air and both Godric and Eric stared as the younger vampire came charging right in between them in pursuit of a witch on the other side of the field. Bill caught up to the shorter female and tackled her to the ground in a flash before she met the same fate as Eric's witch. Her head falling to the grass with a thud before Bill looked up and caught their eyes. "What?"

"Nothing at all." Eric shook his head before they all jumped back into the fight again.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

"Come back little girl, I just want to play with you." Anna's playful innocent tone was calling out to me as I ran away from her as fast as I could when there were bodies flying and ripping apart all around me causing me to trip and stumble as I tried to get away.

After that first initial hit I made on Anna, I had taken off away from the battle, trying to put as much distance between us as I could. I was doing what Eric had told me to do by following my instincts. And my instincts were telling me all to run, so that's exactly what I did. I didn't know what I was suppose to be doing but I knew that if I kept on moving then it would be nearly impossible for any of the witches to catch up to me and hurt me. If they were concentrating on trying to capture me, then they couldn't put their focus on performing a spell. So with the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I ran out from the small cluster of trees and by passed a pile of bodies lying on the ground, relieved that they weren't of anyone from our side. I heard Anna still running behind me so I sped up, entering the rows of tombstones that would hopefully throw her off course. But of course with my luck, it never quite happened that way.

I was weaving around the old stones blocks when out of no where, I felt a heavy force slam into me and knocked me off balance so much that I went flying over a nearby tombstone and landed hard on my side, the breath being stolen right out of me from the force. I felt an ache in my arm as that had been what broke my fall but from what I could tell nothing was broken. I was dizzy and my breathing was still uneven but I had gathered my composure to get to my feet so I could start running again. But before I could even move, the person that had ran into me suddenly appeared in front of me, showing that it was a male witch who had been the heavy forced. He grabbed me by the arms, locking them behind me as he whipped me around to face Anna who had finally caught up to me and was strolling forward with a twisted smirk on her face.

"You know, you're really beginning to piss me off." She said in a voice that was more appropriate between friends. "I just wanted to have some fun and you keep denying me that. I guess I will have to be a little meaner."

Before I could even begin to interpret what she meant by that, she attached her hands to the top of my head and began this very creepy chant that was a cross between a Spanish accent and an Italian one. I didn't know what she was saying, but I certainly felt what she was doing as a second later I felt something rip across my forehead near my hair line and I couldn't stop myself from screaming out from the pain. It was sharp, throbbing and kept coming in waves before I felt a hot liquid dripping down the side of my face and I smelt the metallic scent that said to me I was bleeding. This spell had opened up a cut on my skin and once Anna had seen that it worked, she removed her hands before proceeding to run the tip of her nail right down the middle of the gash, causing me to scream out loud again which only further delighted her as she kept doing it again and again.

"I told you this could have been over faster but you just wouldn't listen." She shook her head, bringing her fingers to her lips and licked my blood off her skin, smiling in satisfaction. "You taste so good. No wonder the viking likes you so much."

Then she brought her hands to my face again, that disturbing spell being cast again as the male witch behind me kept my arms so tightly bound that I could even use my own abilities to save me. They clearly wanted to use slow torture before they decided to kill me and that's exactly what was happening as another long cut appeared on my head, bleeding down the other side of my face, paining me so badly that tears also began running down from my eyes. And my reaction was exactly what they both wanted because I heard the same cruel laughter coming from them both. And just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore and I thought they were going to kill me right then and there. I had a savior swoop in at that very moment.

A fourth body had moved in on us, grabbing Anna by the shoulders and throwing her off into the distance where she would surely die whenever and wherever she landed. The male witch holding me, suddenly let me go and the air was full of the sound of bones breaking and whoever my hero was, they had just snapped the neck of the witch behind me. I couldn't see properly with the blood in my eyes, but when I wiped it away, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I reacted quickly. Somehow the vampire who had saved me fell to the ground and I tripped over the dead body at my feet and proceeded to fall right on top of my savior, landing hard on them but otherwise uninjured. I had just up, trying to gather my composure when my mouth fell upon as I saw who it was who had swooped in.

"Pam?" I felt my eyes widen in utter shock as I took in the sight of the leather clad female vampire laying on the ground underneath me. I couldn't believe she was the one who had saved me, I hadn't seen her at all as I had been running. But she obviously had spotted me and I was glad she had. "Oh my god I …."

"Now, you know whenever I fantasized about us in this position, I always thought I would be the one on top." Pam grinned mischievously as she laid back on the grass with her hands behind her head, completely at ease like there wasn't a frenzied fight going on around us. "But I'm not going to complain."

"Eww gross." I shuddered, climbing off her and getting to my feet in a huff. "We're in the middle of a war and all you can think about is sex? You really are Eric's progeny."

"I learned from the best." Pam shrugged, winking at me as she too shot back up to her feet, dusting off her clothing as she stood up straight. "You're welcome by the way."

"Thanks." I quickly said turning to look over her shoulder to see if I could spot anyone else I knew. "Pam, what about the others? Are they ok?"

"Sookie is alive and unharmed, Bill was chasing after some annoying witch and last time I saw Godric and Eric, they were ripping heads off." Pam reported with a sly grin as I nearly melted in relief that everyone was ok. "So it's all good for now."

"Alright I'm going back in. Thanks again." I told her as I turned to head back into the fray, not about to let these minor injuries stop me from fighting. "Stay safe Pam."

"I should be the one telling you that." Pam scoffed before she too disappeared back into the fight.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later<span>_

"Come out come out wherever you are. We know you're in here Blondie." A male witch's voice called out through the maze of trees, while his three comrades paraded behind him, their heavy footsteps crunching the leaves on the ground.

Sookie shuddered in fear but remained hidden behind the fallen tree trunk that kept her nearly invisible from her pursuers. She had run into this thicket of trees in the hopes of throwing off the 4 men who had been chasing after her. It took a combination of constant running and use of her Faerie light to distract them long enough to disappear into the treeline to hide. And now here she was, breathing heavy with a cut on her arm from diving to the ground to avoid being seen by these witches. She could hear them getting closer, their steps stomping loudly and she looked around for anyway out that would not have her being detected. And it was while she was looking around that she spotted movement out of the corner of her eyes.

It was Holly!

The older woman was crouched behind a tree not too far up ahead from where Sookie was hiding. And when their eyes met, Holly raised a finger to her lips, indicating that they should both be quiet before she tapped the side of her head. At first Sookie didn't know understand what Holly was trying to tell her by the repeated motion of touching her temples but then it hit her suddenly that Holly wanted Sookie to read her thoughts. They couldn't speak out loud with the witches hunting them here in the trees. But it was obvious that Holly had a plan and Sookie needed to hear it. So she let down her mental guard and let in the thoughts Holly was sending her way.

_Sookie, you need to listen to me very carefully. I have a plan, you just need to follow what I say exactly. When I yell out to you, you are going to jump out into the path and send that white light at those witches. And once they are on the ground, I will take care of the rest._

"Now!" Holly's voice yelled out suddenly, gaining the attention of all 4 of the male witches and they turned on the path right at Holly. Sookie dove out from her hiding spot right behind them, her movements going unnoticed until Holly shouted again. "Sookie, do it!"

Sookie threw up her hands, willing with every fiber of her being that all her strength was going to her fingertips and sure enough that was what she was seeing happening in front of her. She had never had to take on 4 people before all at once, and she just hoped her power would be enough to at least throw these guys backwards like Holly wanted her to do. Speaking of Holly, the older witch's voice was chanting some kind of incantation that was being muffled by the sound of splintering wood. The men didn't to catch on to it and just rushed towards her with their hands outstretched to grab her. Sookie willed all the power she had in her body to push back at these witches and the white light shot out in a powerful beam, separating into 4 different trails and taking on each of these guys and tossed them to the ground on their backs just as Holly stopped chanting and yelled at her to back away. Sookie barely has a chance to fall off to the side before a heavy tree trunk came sailing passed her rapidly and landed with a sickening thud on top of top of the group of witches. She slapped her hands over her ears as the screams of pain filled the air from their sudden injuries, it was horrific and emotionally damaging to hear their cries as they slowly met death. But she couldn't feel too bad about it because if she and Holly hadn't combined their powers, then these guys would have killed them. It was self defense and self defense was not murder.

"Sookie? Are you ok?" Holly's voice was muffled as it called out to her and Sookie realized she had never removed her hands from her ears. "Sookie, answer me right now."

"It's ok Holly. I'm fine." Sookie dropped her hands from the sides of her head and pulled herself to her feet, catching sight of Holly climbing over the fallen tree towards her. Sookie kept her eyes high, not wanting to see the dead bodies lying only a few feet away. Holly got within arm's distance before Sookie moved forward to hug her. "Oh my god, that scared the crap out of me."

"Me too." Holly replied shakily, her voice sounding distant as if she hadn't quite comprehended what had just happened. She pulled back, running her hands over her face. "Oh man, I cannot believer we just killed 4 other witches. I've never killed anything before."

"I get that, I really do but there's no time to feel bad about it right now." Sookie told her, feeling empathy towards Holly for the situation they had just gone through together. "We are still fighting for our lives. So kill now and feel bad about it later."

* * *

><p><em><span>23 minutes later<span>_

"Hmm, I have forgotten how much fun violence could be." Godric said out loud to himself as he finished ripping the leg off the body of a witch cowering at his feet, and felt himself being showered with blood as he tossed the limb away like he had done all the other. He didn't even bother killing this one because she would die fairly quickly any way with the amount of blood she was losing.

To say there hadn't been all that much carnage at his hands would be an understatement of the century. Not more then a few minutes had gone by without him tearing apart any witch that came into his eye line. He had started off just playing with them, wanting them to feel the slow creep of death as they all had felt these last few months before he killed them. But now, he didn't waste any time in slaughtering whatever walked across his path. He didn't like this part of him and he would have rather shied away from that side of himself, but this war didn't really give him that much of an option. If he didn't tap into his more unleashed, violent side, then it could contribute to his death or to someone else he cared about. So he let his unhinged side take over, reigning over everything else while he killed without mercy. These witches had done everything in their power to kill Allison and the others, there was no way he was letting any of them go with retribution.

"I'm going to make you wish you never touch our coven, dead man." A younger male witch shouted at him, running forward with his hands outstretched to perform a spell but Godric was quicker, appearing behind him and with a twist of the head, the young man fell dead in a heap on the grass that was already stained with blood. Godric felt a brief stab of shame wash over him, this kid was barely older then Allison and now he was dead at his hands. It was a kill that affected him more then the others because of the age, but he couldn't feel too bad about this because this kid was working against them. This could have been the kid who could have taken Allison's life and therefore he had to die. There was no way around it.

He had sprung away from this spot for not more then a few seconds when he was suddenly finding himself on his knees, frozen to the ground in a crippling fog of pain that sent shock waves through out his cold body. It felt like his head had tiny explosions going off inside of it while his blood was boiling so rapidly that it was sending electric currents shooting through him, causing him to shudder in pain. He couldn't hear anything going on around him except for the sound his own mouth was making as he screamed out in agony. It was the worse pain he had ever felt, more agonizing then when he had been peppered with silver bullets. That was tame compared to this. This was on another level entirely. And the presence of another figure forced him to look up, his eyes landing on a middle aged male who had his fingers stretched out to Godric, chanting something incoherently, obviously the one trapping him in this pain fog.

"You killed my apprentice." The older male witch said, his eyes turning dark as the spell was dropped momentarily when the chanting stopped. "And now, I will have fun torturing you before I kill you as quickly as you killed him. This will be such an accomplishment, killing a 2000 year old vampire."

Godric couldn't even say anything before this man started the spell up again, forcing him back down on his knees as the pain rose up once more. Only this time the results were more then just internal pain, it was beginning to show on the outside. There was a drip coming from either side of his head and when he touched his ear lobes, his hands came away red, he was bleeding from the ears. Another stream of blood was rolling down his face from the corner of his eyes as if he were shedding tears and he wasn't. Another shudder of agony passed through his body just as a scream of pain exploded out of his mouth and the blood started dripping down from his nostrils this time. He couldn't move from the spot he was in, feeling utterly powerless under the spell this witch was commanding.

"Had enough yet?" The man asked, a smirk twisted onto his wrinkled face as his hand shook in front of him. "Or should I continue a little bit longer? Because this is really fun for me. Getting revenge on a friend's murder is always enjoyment."

"I was defending my loved ones. And if he hadn't been a part of a coven that was attacking an innocent girl for no reason, then he would still be alive right now. This is not my fault." Godric managed to spit out despite the pain making its way into his voice and the blood disrupting his speech. He looked up at this man and even though it would shame him in the eyes of every other vampire, Godric fell to the point of begging. "Have mercy on me. I was only doing what I had to do."

"Now why should we show mercy to a dead man?" The witch asked, narrowing his eyes into slits. "It doesn't matter. In a just a few minutes you will be deader then you already are."

He started chanting faster, the blood started too gush again from his eyes, ears and nose, only this time it was much heavier. The witch was trying to drain every ounce of blood from his body so he couldn't put up a fight when it came time to die. This was the beginning of the end, Godric could feel it with every drip of blood that left his body. He was going to to shrivel up and become a shell of his former shelf before he was finally met the true death for real. And he wouldn't get the chance to say goodbye to anyone. He would just be gone.

But fate intervened and sent him an angel. Or as close to an angel as you could get. Because one moment the air was filled with the frenzied sounds of this spell being cast and the next it all was gone and so was the pain that had been attacking his body. He looked up and caught sight of the male witch, whipped into the air by a beam of white light and being thrown back first into the trunk of a nearby tree, breaking his spine with a loud snap upon contact before the body fell dead to the dirt and Godric was able to get to his feet, wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

"Godric? Are you ok?" Allison's worried voice came at him right before she appeared at his side, her hands landing on his shoulders in concern to look at him. "Oh my god, look at what that bastard did to you."

"I'm fine, I didn't lose that much blood." He assured, finding relief and comfort at her being the one who had saved his life from the brink as he looked into her young face only to see the damage done to her. He instantly grabbed her chin in his hand, turning her head to both sides and seeing the gashes near her hair line. "Oh god, you're hurt too."

"I'm fine, really." She pulled her face away, shaking her head in discouragement of his worries. "Pam saved me in time before they could do any real damage. So I'm ok. I just want to make sure you are ok."

"I am, thanks to you." He sent a gracious smile at her before he knew they would have to go their separate ways. Staying in a group would put an easy target on their backs. So he turned to her and said. "Now keep moving, staying still is dangerous."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Come back little girl, we just want to play with you." A male witch's voice cackled at me as he and his friend, a large man with brown hair came chasing after me on the outer edge of the graveyard while I tried to run away. They had ambushed me when I disappeared back into the thicket of trees and I had just barely gotten away from them. But now they were gaining on me, running faster then I thought possible and covering ground more quickly then before. I weaved in and out of the tombstones, trying to throw them off course but I was not in luck as the leaner one was able to charge ahead of the other and grab a hold of me, yanking me back against his chest roughly. "Well now, looks like we are about to have some fun with you."

"I don't think so." I snapped, swinging my leg back and kicking him swiftly in the balls, forcing him to let me go as he fell over in pain and I immediately tried to take off. But by that time, the other man with brown hair had reached us and yanked me back into the spot of grass where he and his friend were and then proceeded to drive his knee right up into my rib cage.

"How do you like those turning tables bitch?" He laughed, his hands grabbing at me again even though I was hunched over on the ground and he dragged me to my feet and I saw the evil smirk on his lips. He shared a knowing look with his friend who had recovered and was now returning a smirk just as wide. "You know what? I don't think we will have to use magic to make you suffer. I have a more pleasurable idea in mind."

I already knew what that meant before they even reacted and was already shooting my hands out in front of me to blast them away me. But the stronger man ducked out of the way and grabbed my arms, yanking them down to my side before the other one sent a well aimed back handed slap across my face, making me cry out in pain as I tasted blood on my lips. I heard their laughter in my ears as they dragged me kicking and screaming across the grass to the nearest tombstone where I was thrown over it so my midsection was resting on top of it and my arms were being held down over the front by the larger male witch while the other one leaned over me from behind, running his hands down my body in a way that no other man had done besides Eric. I shuddered in fear, knowing they had every intention of violating me because I could hear everything going on in their heads. When someone was that excited about something, there was no hiding their thoughts. Those foreign hands roamed freely over me as tears wound their way down my cheeks as I struggled to get my arms free so I could use my powers. But this guy was too strong and he held me down as his friend's fingers made their way up long sleeved shirt and inched towards my chest. His body was pressed close to mine and I could feel his growing erection against the back of my leg as he thought of how sweet it was going to be to ram himself into me and cry me scream in pain. They both were screaming in their thoughts that they wanted to rape me, to take away every part of my dignity before they finally killed me. And hearing it broadcasted what they were about to do and knowing I couldn't do anything about it, made my heart squeeze painfully as the male witch began to unzip his pants.

"GET OFF HER YOU BASTARDS!" Eric's voice came out of nowhere as did his body flying past the side of my face to rip the guy on top of me away. His friend let go of my wrist and I sank to the ground against the tombstone, too much in shock to do anything but stare at what was happening in front of me.

Eric had charged onto the scene with an old iron fence post in his hand as a weapon even though he didn't need one. He as a vampire, he was just as deadly without anything in his hands. But he enraged and we could all see that clearly, he wanted to make these two suffer as much as they were about to make me suffer. And that's when I saw the reason for the fence post. It only took a second for him to strike and when he did, those two witches were dead before they even hit the ground. With one swing, he drove that piece of iron right across the front of their necks, essentially slitting their throats and spraying both him and me with droplets of blood before there were two more dead bodies in that graveyard. Eric dropped the fence post and his face looked up and met mine at the same time mine met his.

"Are you ok my love?" He asked, flashing over to me on the ground, taking me into his arms without hesitation or disgust over the amount of blood we were both covered in and held my close to him while I tried not to whimper like a child. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

"It's ok, you got here before anything happened. That's good enough." I moved my head back to look at him, still feeling unnerved by the feel of that man's hands on me. I looked over Eric's face and even though he was coated in blood, I don't think any of it was his, because our blood bond was open and I didn't feel any pain coming from him. And that was such a relief that I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly and squeezed him. "I'm so glad that you're ok."

"Right back at you." He said into my ear, hugging me back and bringing the sense of safety to the surface that I always found when I was in his arms. I felt his lips brush against my neck before he said. "I love you,"

"I love..." I never got the chance to say that because I felt something tighten in my head and I knew I was about to have a vision, so I immediately let my guard down just in time to see myself and Eric in my mind's eye. But that vision wasn't a peaceful one, it was a dangerous one as suddenly an orange ball entered the scene and engulfed both of us. I gasped, pulling away from Eric in shock. "Eric move."

I removed my arms from around him and pressed my hands to his chest, the white light shooting out and sending him flying clear across the grass and away from me. I barely had a second to run away before the ball of fire was launched into the air and hit the exact spot where Eric and I had just been, sending the grass up in flames. I tripped over my feet but remained steady as I turned back to look for Eric. I spotted him standing on the other side of the fire, waving his arms at me so I could see him. He was ok and I waved my hand back at him to show him I was the same. He was looking like he was going to come over and join me, but I saw his eyes shoot off into the distance and I saw that he was being approached by a handful of witches, one of whom looked like she had created the fire ball. I too was being stalked by a female witch who had dark eyes and a look to kill on her face.

"Be careful Eric." I yelled out before taking off in the opposite direction, hoping that we all would make it to the end of the night. I didn't know about the others, but there had been too many close calls tonight.

* * *

><p><em><span>12 minutes later<span>_

"Bill, this is really bad." Sookie said to her husband, glancing to the side at her husband as two female witches came towards them, one blonde and the other brunette, but both of whom were sending the same spell at them. A spell that was exposing the roots in the nearby trees, causing both Sookie and Bill to stumble long enough for the two women to gain ground on them. They couldn't run in the other direction because those women were coming at them from the front and from behind, cutting off any chance of escape. "What are we going to do?"

"Just stay calm and we'll get through this." Bill whispered to her, his eyes going towards the brunette. "You take on one and I'll take the other."

"What?" Sookie could barely even mumble in response as Bill left her side and edged towards the brown haired witch while she was left to the one coming towards her in the front.

"So...are you and your dead man ready to die?" The blonde witche asked Sookie as the two women began to circle each other while Bill stood not too far away having a stare down with another female. The blonde that was facing Sookie narrowed her eyes and growled "This would be a lot easier if you would just lay down and die already."

"Never going to happen bitch." Sookie snapped, her anger getting the best of her and she charged forward, intending to strike the girl with her bare hands but she wasn't able to get within grabbing distance before the young witch uttered a few simple words and Sookie found herself on the ground in pain, her wrist hanging at an odd angle after being snapped under the weight of a spell. "Bill!"

Bill wasted not even a second before responding. He charged at the witch casting the spell on her and before the blonde could turn it on him, he grabbed her her around the shoulders and with one simple twist, her head was on the ground rolling to its side, the body joining it not too long after. The other witch, who had been in shock went running towards Bill, her hands rising up to perform a spell but Sookie had enough strength to stop her before she could hurt Bill. Her right hand went flying straight out, the light exploding from her fingertips and hitting the charging witch in the shoulder. She went flying off course towards the old fence and before Sookie could look away, she watched in horror as one of the loose iron posts came through her body, essentially impaling her through the back on that fence before her body came to a stop and she fell limp.

"Oh my god." Sookie was so sickened by what she had just done that she didn't even notice the pain in her wrist any more. She couldn't believe what she had been forced to do and what was even worse was how easy she had been able to do it. Bill appeared at her side, his arm going around her and directing her head away from the gruesome sight. She was grateful for this and cuddled down into his arms, knowing it wouldn't last long before the ache in her arm came back. "Bill, she broke my wrist."

Bill nodded, and without saying a word he brought his arm to his mouth and bite into it before offering the bloody wound to her to suck on. She took it immediately, knowing there wouldn't be more then a few seconds or at best a minute, before danger would show up again. So she latched on to her husband's arm and quickly drank his blood, feeling the healing effects of it almost instantly. The broken pieces of bone began fusing back together, becoming whole again under her skin before the swelling started to go down and disappear completely. She dropped Bill's arm and flexed her wrist, feeling no pain at all.

"Thank you." She managed to say, allowing him to grab her hands to pull her to her feet and into his arms. "I thought we were going to die for a moment. Those two were vicious enough for the whole coven."

"I wouldn't have let them hurt you." Bill assured her, hugging her tightly against him before taking her hand. "Come on, I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later<span>_

"Whore!"

"Bitch!"

"Slut!"

"Dead slut"

"Ooo this is my favorite kind of girl to kill." Pam announced out loud, her lips practically smacking together gleefully as she rushed forward, grabbing hold of the arm of one of the female witches and ripping off with ease. She ignored the screams of pain and tossed the limb to the ground like it was simply a stick and then proceeded to place her hands on her hips with a smile. "Ok, who's next?"

Godric grinned at the easy going way that Pam was addressing the situation as if it were merely a verbal disagreement they were all having and not a viscous fight to the death. But then again, the only deaths that were occurring were the deaths of the witches in the Dallas coven. So far, he had come across each and every one of the others throughout the course of the night and while they had been beaten and hurt, no one had died. In fact, it was their smaller army that was doing more damage then the Dallas coven was. Mostly because they had vampires on their side and the vamps could make a kill faster then most of these witches could cast a spell. So the bodies were piling up faster then they thought and it looked like they were winning this. So by the time he ran across Pam, he felt confident enough to stick around her long enough so they could take out handfuls of the witches at once. And that's exactly what they did.

Over the length of the night he had adjusted the method he had been using to kill the witches he had come across. At first he had simply been pleased to just snap their necks and be done with it. But with each kill that he made, he started to feel the urge to be more creative with his techniques. So when he joined forces with Pam, he had taken to trying anything and everything he could think of to kill off the group they had cornered together. One of the females he had killed, had lost her life when he decided to break her in half literally right over his bent leg, putting her body into two separate pieces. Another had been brought down by his original method of tearing her heart out and tossing it on the ground. But his favorite was the slow torturous tearing of the arms and legs from their bodies, watching the blood gush out in a river or sometimes in a spray. But it still resulted in a quick and painful death. He had stopped feeling bad about it a while ago, finally realizing that if he didn't put his all into this battle, then someone he knew could die because he was feeling remorse for the witches trying to kill them. So he threw himself wholeheartedly into this battle and hadn't looked back since. Pam on the other hand clearly never felt bad about any of the people she killed because every time she threw down another body, there was a look of satisfaction in her eyes that said she was enjoying herself way too much at the moment.

"I think this is the most fun I have had in a very long time." She stated, tossing away a leg that she had ripped off the last witch in their group and proceeded to lick the blood from her fingers in joy. "Mm, tasty."

"You are very much a vampire to admire." Godric told her, getting back to his feet and finding his clothes completely drenched in human blood. But that was just a testament to how far they had come in such a short amount of time in winning this war. "You are so ruthless and violent when you need to be."

"Oh no, I am like this all the time." She insisted, wiping the rest of the blood on her clothes before shaking back her hair. "But let's not talk about how great of a vampire I am, let's just focus on finding the others."

"Yea, let's..." Godric began to say, turning to join Pam in walking away when he suddenly stopped with a frown on his face and waved at her to remain still, his mind growing tight in concern as he looked around them. "Pam, do you notice anything odd right now?"

"Not really..." Pam's voice trailed off before recognition dawned in her too and her face shot towards his. "Godric, I don't see anyone else. And I don't hear anything. It's quiet."

"Too quiet." He mumbled, eying the area suspiciously before meeting Pam's eyes. "Something is happening and I don't know what."

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later<span>_

It was quiet. Too quiet.

For the last couple of hours, the air had been full of the sounds of people screaming, of bodies being ripped apart, of people dying. There had been vampires and witches running all over the place, showing that neither side had won yet. And then suddenly, it had all gone quiet.

I stood up in the darkened dirt of the open grave I had fallen into in my haste to get away from the witches chasing me and I hadn't had a moment to climb back out. But there had been no need to. It seemed like no one besides me even realized there was an unoccupied grave site in the cemetery so therefore I was safe for the moment. The hiding place gave me a moment to collect my breath before I would jump back into the fight. But just when I had decided to do that, that's when all the noise went away and I grew concerned. It wasn't like it faded away into nothing. It was like one moment it was there and the next it wasn't. Something had to have happened and that was the thought that brought me to my feet and got me to dig and climb my way out of that shallow grave and back up to the grass. But when I reached the level ground, I was shocked to see that there were no more living bodies around me. There were dead witches all over the place but no sign of the vampires, or Holly's coven or Eric or Sookie or any of the others. It was like they had vanished and this was all that had been left to show there had just been a fight here at all. So I knew I hadn't been imagining it.

"Allison!" A weak voice called out from behind me and I immediately whipped around to spot a sight that broke my heart. Holly was stumbling towards me, her face bruised and her head bleeding and she was holding her side like she had broken ribs or something. She was broken, but she was otherwise ok as we made our way towards each other. She immediately grabbed me in a hug tightly as if I was her most favorite person in the world to see. "Oh thank god you are ok."

"Yea, yea I'm fine. A little battered, but fine." I assured her, hugging her back and feeling glad that I was in the presence of someone I knew. I pulled back and motioned around the area with my hand. "Holly what the hell happened? Why did the graveyard just suddenly empty?"

"I don't know for sure, I blacked out for a while when I was thrown into a tombstone. But I think it was finally setting in that our side was winning." Holly grimaced as she spoke, pressing her hand to her side before going on. "I think the other coven was realizing that they were being killed off a lot quicker then they were anticipating. So maybe they somehow lifted the spell I put on the graveyard to keep them all in and got the rest of the coven to retreat."

"Fuck." I exclaimed, gripping my blood soaked hair with both hands as I lamented the fact that the remaining witches had escaped, which was the very last thing that we had wanted to happen. The whole point of going to war and having Holly trap us in one area together was to kill the entire coven. And now they had broken through the spell and escaped. And that meant this nightmare wasn't over just...All of a sudden I frowned as a thought hit me and I turned around with my back towards Holly and scanned the horizon. "If that's true then where is your coven? Where are the other vampires? And where are Sookie and Bill? And Godric and Eric? Where are they Holly?"

There were no words spoken in that cold night air, but there was an answer given in the second after I stopped talking. It took me a second to realize what had happened, but I felt a sharp cruel pain enter my body from the back and come out on the other of me, ripping my organs apart and forcing me to look down and see the tip of a metal dagger sticking out of my midsection, now coated with my blood. And then just as quickly as it had entered me, it was twisted and then yanked out quickly causing me to gasp and slap my hands over the wound just as Holly walked around in front of me. Only it wasn't Holly at all. The real Holly never would have stabbed me in the back. And this certainly wasn't the Holly I knew. I saw the image starting to melt away revealing the true identity of my attacker. I saw the red hair and the black clothing of the very witch I thought Pam had killed earlier. It was Anna.

"Oh would you look at that. You look like you're in pain." Anna hissed as she twirled the handle of the dagger in her before pointing to my hands where the blood was starting to gush out between my fingers. "My oh my that looks painful."

"NOOOOOO!" I heard Eric's voice come from the area in front of me and I was able to make out the sound of Anna chanting something and a second later Eric appeared along side Godric and Pam and then Bill and Sookie and the real Holly, all of them looking absolutely frozen in shock. Except for Eric, he tried to move forward towards me, but something was holding him back as it was doing to the others. They were trapped inside the same spell that Holly had put over the graveyard. Only now it was trapping them away from helping me. They could only looking on in horror as Anna circled around my shaking and numbing body as she laughed.

"You should have just given up at the beginning of the night and this could have all been avoided. But you didn't and now since you weren't willing to give me what I wanted, you get to watch your life slip away from you. And your loved ones get to witness it as well." Anna said cruelly, slicing the blade across my back once more, causing the pain to grow even more before she big farewell. "Have a nice death."

And then she was gone, running off into the night and leaving me alone as my body shivered in an overwhelming pain.

"Allie, don't give in." Sookie's voice came at me as I struggled to breath, forcing me to look up at here and seeing the tears running down her cheeks. "Stay awake Allie. Don't you dare die on us now. You promised me you wouldn't."

I had promised her that, but I realized now that it had been an empty promise because I had never imagined that I could be feeling so much pain and still be standing. But it wouldn't be for long and I would be breaking my promise to her.

This was the end. I knew it was.

I had known it from the moment I had realized what I would have to do to save the people that I loved. Back when I thought I did have to die, I had begun to prepare myself for it, to accept it. That didn't mean I was ready to die. I didn't want to die. Even when I had been so desperate to find death, I hadn't truly wanted to die. But I couldn't bear to see the people that I loved suffer any more then they had. So it was me who was going to end all this madness, all this pain. If I wasn't alive, then there was not going to be a reason for these witches to be in their lives, they would get to be safe. And once the shock of my death had worn off, they would be happy again. I was suppose to meet this fate. I didn't have time to get used to the idea. And now the end was here and I could feel everything slipping away as I looked at the destruction around me. The dead bodies, the bodies that were still alive and around me, kept away by magic, unable to come to my aid as I stumbled.

"Nooooooooo!" Eric's strangled cry came at me from across the grass as I fell first to my knees and then down to my side as the blood started flowing even faster and nothing could be done about it. No matter how tightly I kept my hands over the gaping wound, the blood just flowed faster then I couldn't stop it. There was no stopping it. The damage was too great and I didn't have the strength to stay up any longer. My body was curled on the grass, the ground being stained by my blood as I laid there dying. I turned my head, catching Eric's face as rivers of blood made their way down his pale face and he struggled to release himself from the spell keeping him just a few feet away, he was fighting so hard to get away, to try and help me. But as our eyes locked together, I could see that he knew he couldn't save me. And it was nearly killing him to watch me die right there in front of him. "Somebody help her for Christ sakes. She's dying."

"I'm trying Eric, but I can't break the spell, it's too powerful." Holly told him, her voice heavy and panicked and I could hear her resume her chanting, trying to break through. But it wasn't her I wanted to focus on in my last minute. It was the vampire fighting like hell to get to me, even though he couldn't.

"It's ok Eric. It's ok." I struggled to say as I started to cough up blood that joined the growing puddle surrounding me,my hands still on my abdomen. "Everything is going to be alright now. You will be ok."

"No I wont. I couldn't possibly be ok without you." He told me, his struggling ceasing as he looked at me and the devastation in his eyes grew even wider as my heart started to beat less and less. He could sense that, all the vampires could. But it was seeing the realization in Eric's eyes that moved me the most before he begged me not to go . "Please don't leave me."

I didn't want to leave him. I wanted to stay with him. To have a life with him. To be able to love him and have his love in return. I wanted to go through all the long years of our lives together with him being the only man at my side. We were suppose to get married. We were suppose to have an eternity together. But that wasn't mean to be. We both knew that the slower my heartbeat became. The blood pouring out of me rapidly as I shivered on that cold ground. I couldn't feel pain anymore. There was an icy layer cold over me and I knew that meant death wasn't far off. I could almost see it. My vision went in and out as I kept my eyes trailed on Eric, wanting his face to be the last thing I saw before the end.

"I love you Eric Northman." I was glad I had said that right now,because it was the last thing I would ever say to him as my eyes shut for the final time and I could hear Eric's screams as I slipped away into a cloud of nothingness.

**A/N: Yes...I went there and did something Im sure none of you thought i would do. I killed off the main female lead. And with the next chapter being the last in this fic, many of you will assume that this is the end of the series. But thats not the case at all. Believe it or not there will be a 4th fic and it involves the group's ability to move on after Allison's death. I know it will be weird to read a fic without her, but it will still be good. So look out for it. And please review! and try not to hate me too much**


	52. Only Time

**A/N: I take no credit for the lyrics used in this chapter. It is a song called Only time by Enya...i had my ipod on shuffle when this came on an i knew it would be perfect for this last chapter. **

**Chapter 52 Only Time**

_Who can say when the roads meet,  
>That love might be,<br>In your heart._

_And who can say when the day sleeps,_  
><em>If the night keeps all your heart?<em>  
><em>Night keeps all your heart...<em>

* * *

><p><em><span>One week later<span>_

"I really wish you would let me help you with this." Bill said gently to Sookie as she sat at the desk inside their bedroom a full 7 nights later, furiously scribbling on a notepad as a lone tear rolled off the side of her face that she was trying to hide from him. His hands landed on her shoulders lightly as they always did at this time in the night as he said. "You shouldn't be taking on the whole job of planning her funeral, you should let me..."

"I don't need your damn help Bill. She was my cousin, my family. It's my responsibility to make the funeral arrangements and I don't want anyone else to do it." Sookie found herself snapping at her husband, shrugging his hands away so he was no longer touching her. "So stop using that damn tone on me and stop trying to take away the one thing I have left of her. Just stop it."

"Ok. You're right. I'm sorry." Bill said, their eyes meeting briefly before he backed towards the other side of the room and left her alone to her thoughts. It took everything in her to not give into the tidal wave of sadness that had been present in every minute of every hour of every day and night since Allison's death. She wasn't mad at Bill, but there were some times in the course of this week where it was easier to be angry and take it out on her husband rather then to go in the other direction and feel the utter despair and pure agony of losing someone she loved more then herself at times.

It didn't seem real at first that Allie had died. In fact, it was so unreal, that Sookie was sure that one of the witches had used a spell to make it appear like they were witnessing Allie's death. But then Holly and the rest of the coven managed to break the more complex holding spell and freed them from that spot. And the moment they were all able to move, Sookie had fallen to the ground when the very real sight of Allie's lifeless body laid on the grass only a few feet away. The smell of blood was heavy in the air and it nearly made her sick. Those first few moments of looking at her cousin's dead and bloodied body were the most painful and heartbreaking few minutes of her entire life. It was different when her parents and aunt and uncle had died because it all happened when she was so young. And even when gran died, Sookie hadn't had to watch it unfold right before her eyes. But she had watched Allison be stabbed by that red headed witch. She had seen the brunette fall to the ground, blood pouring out of her midsection more rapidly then she could stop it. She had to watch the life disappear from Allison's eyes as the space around them was filled with the sound of their screams. She was dead within the span of 5 minutes, just like that she was gone and they all had a whole in their life in the aftermath of it. And now nothing would ever be the same.

Somehow, after those first few days, Sookie had dragged herself out of bed and started to spend time at the phone so she could make arrangements for the funeral. After they had left the graveyard with Allison's body, the official cause of death had been ruled a murder but with no name to go off of, the police couldn't go after the witches to press charges and in some ways that was a good thing. Sookie had been hit with a blinding rage to take revenge on those witches herself and that couldn't be done the way she wanted if they were in jail. So instead she focused on making funeral plans even though it wasn't easy at all to get through it. Every time she sat down to do something, she would burst into tears and break down entirely to the point where she couldn't even do what she set out to do. And then, despite the tears, she was able to make headway in the funeral arrangements. It wasn't going to be anything big, it was just going to be a small gathering of her closest loved ones including the Salvatore brothers and Elena Gilbert. Sam, although distraught upon hearing the news of Allie's passing was the only other person who wasn't in the battle who was coming. Sookie did not want the funeral open to the rest of Bon Temps who knew her because most of the residents had been gossiping about the suspicion surrounding her death and had no problem voicing their thoughts. And Sookie did not want to hear any of that shit. She was mourning the loss of someone who was very much a part of her, and there was no reason for anyone else to be there except for them. And that's how it was going to be.

"Damn it." Sookie cried out in frustration, throwing down the pen in her hands as her eyes clouded over in tears, spilling down her face to soak the notepad in front of her no matter how fast she tried to wipe those tears away. She felt Bill's hands on her again, but this time she allowed him to pull her out of the chair and into his arms where she started sobbing against his shoulder. "I can't take this pain. I just can't. It's too hard."

"I know, I know." Bill's arms were locked tightly around her, his hand on the back of her head as he attempted to comfort her like he had been doing all week. "The pain is intolerable right no because it is too fresh. But over time it will feel better. I promise you that."

"You can't promise me that, Bill because there is nothing that will ever make me feel better again." Sookie felt her lips quiver as she spoke, feeling sharp pricks of pain in her chest as she spoke to the pain she carried around with her in her every waking moment. Even with the passage of time, she was never going to ever truly feel ok. "I lost a piece of myself that night. And when Allie died, a piece of me died as well."

"Don't say that, please don't ever say that." Bill's voice was chocked as if he too was crying and he probably was. He had cried along side her every single time she cried and if his blood tears weren't falling, then they were close. "I know how painful it is because I'm living through it with you. But time and only time will begin to heal these wounds."

"I doubt that." She replied, her body feeling tired already even though she had spent the majority of the day in bed. She clutched tighter to her husband and whispered. "I don't think I will ever truly feel alive again."

* * *

><p><em><span>In Shreveport<span>_

"Eric, you need to get out of this room. It's not healthy to be in here night after night."

"You have to do something other then just lay there and stare at the ceiling. Why don't you come into Fangtasia for at least an hour?"

"Don't do this to yourself. Allison wouldn't have wanted to see you like this. You know how much she hated to see you in pain. So don't do it."

"Come on, Eric...please just do something."

Eric didn't exactly ignore the pleas and begging of his maker and child, he just didn't offer up a response to anything they said. He just laid there on that bed, his hands tucked under his arms as he looked up at the ceiling with an unflinching glare. He had been this way for the past week and he didn't see it changing any time soon.

He had become a vampire he did not recognize anymore and not knowing who he was made it harder for him to find the will to drag himself back out into the world and to try and go on like nothing had happened. But everything had happened and in the worse possible way. He had lost the woman he loved so tragically and so quickly that he almost thought it had been a bad dream. Like any minute now he was going to see Allison come skipping through the door to tease him about his behavior. And that first night after her death, he had remained awake all day and all night, just staring at the doorway of the bedroom he had shared with her and waited for her to come back to him. But she didn't appear. He knew she was dead, he knew that night in the graveyard. He knew it when he saw the look in her eyes right before they closed. He saw it in her face as she struggled to fight through the pain. He saw it in every muscle of her delicate little body as she held on desperately to her life. But he had seen it slip away from her in just a matter of minutes. One second she was there and the next, she was gone forever. And he was never going to see her again. His mind just could not process that she really was gone and had instead went into a stupid hopeful mode, just looking around for her at every corner. But he never found her and when that first 24 hours went by, he knew it wasn't a bad dream, it had been real. And upon that realization that he had lost her forever, it was what drove him to take to the room they had shared and he hadn't really left it since.

Godric and Pam did not think it was healthy of him to do what he was doing and they continued to come by every single night to try and entice him to leave that bed, but he just couldn't. This was the strongest place where he felt her presence and he didn't want to abandon it for even just a few minutes let alone an hour. He felt like if he stayed here, still smelling her scent on the sheets and pillows, that he could pretend like she was still there with him. He was surrounded by everything that belonged to her. Everything in this room held some kind of memory for him and being here felt like she was here too even though he knew she wasn't. She was gone, but her presence was still so strong to him and he wanted to cling to it as long as he could. But Pam and Godric were trying their hardest to snap him out of it. But he just couldn't find the will to do it. He was stuck in this numb fog, tinged with misery and unimaginable pain that he knew would never go away.

"Eric, please don't torture yourself like this." Godric was at his side, standing on the floor next to the bed and looking down at him with the most concern he could ever possible have mustered up and yet Eric couldn't feel anything towards it. "Allison wouldn't have wanted you to be in pain."

"Well, thanks to those witches, I will never truly know what she wanted." He replied bitterly, momentarily feeling a flash of hatred towards that coven for taking the life of someone so innocent, so full of light and just killing her like it was nothing. It drove him wild to think about how easily that redhead had stabbed his beautiful little Faerie in the back, ending her life before it had even really begun and ruining any happiness they might have shared. That was the worse part of it all, knowing what could have been. "It wasn't suppose to be like this. She was suppose to live. We were suppose to have more years together. I was going to propose to her again once the war was over. I wanted her as my wife, she was the only woman that ever made me want that. And now I can't ever have it. So there's no point in trying to do anything but lay here and think about what I could have had."

"There's always a point Eric. You just have to look for it." Pam appeared at Godric's side and for once there was no hint of anything other then raw sympathy written in her face. It was a true departure from how she usually looked after something like this happened. But it had never affected so many people and so hard. "The point is that..."

"How many times do I have to tell you you're wrong?" Eric asked, never breaking his glare at the white ceiling as he addressed his progeny. "You both come here every night trying to get me to believe that there is some point to all this, that this will all make sense some day but I know it won't. Allison is dead, so there is no point in trying to get back to normal life. Because without her alive, nothing will ever be normal again."

"You don't really mean that." Godric interjected, his young face reflecting the sorrow he felt but once again, Eric did not have any reaction to it. He just laid there like he had been doing all week and just shook his head.

"You can try and convince me that one day this pain will be gone, but she was a part of me. And with her gone, a part of me is gone as well."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

"This may sound like a stupid question so soon after her death, but how are you doing?" Godric asked Bill as the two vampires sat side by side on the front porch of the Compton house and stared up at the starry night sky that would normally have comforted them, but now it only further served to remind them of that horrible night when they lost someone so dear to them. "How have you been dealing with this?"

"To be honest, I'm just trying to go through the motions of every day like nothing has happened. Because if I stop and think about what happened, then I worry that I will become someone so broken down that I cannot be supportive of those who are hurting more then I am." Bill explained, tucking his hands under his arms while keeping his gaze straight ahead. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't still eat me up inside. Because Allison just became my family too and before Sookie and I married, I loved Allison like she was sister to me. And having to watch her die...it just kills me. And I would rather not try and dwell on my own grief."

"I completely understand." Godric simply nodded once before going silent. He knew exactly where Bill was coming from with this. Sometimes it was just easier to ignore your own grief and focus on the others around you. Godric himself had been having to do that with Eric. Eric had been the one to love her and spent the most time with her out of any of them in the last few months, so Eric's grief was unimaginable. Eric was at the very lowest her had ever been, there was no going lower. And seeing his child so distressed pained Godric more then anything else. And it added to the growing sadness he was already dealing with when it came to himself. But he was so afraid of accessing his own grief to it's deepest form, that he tried not to acknowledge it and just put his focus on Eric and the others. One day he would deal with his own pain, but right now, there were others who needed his stability more. So he knew what Bill was saying to a t. He looked at the younger vampire and asked. "How is Sookie doing?"

"The way I expected her to take it if she ever had to lose another family member which is a complete and utter break down at every turn. She's not coping well and I'm trying my hardest to be whatever it is that she needs me to be, but sometimes I just know there is nothing I can do to make her feel better. I know that the grief and pain will have to run its course." Bill stated, sending a glare up at the stars as if trying to send a message to God for how much pain had been brought down among them. It was most unfair of situations with the most horrible of outcomes. It just wasn't right and there was nothing that any of them could do about it. "She's not doing well, but she's trying to stay busy with the funeral arrangements."

"That can't be easy, having to plan any funeral let alone one for someone in your family who you were close to for so many years," Godric didn't know how Sookie was managing to push herself through that ordeal. No one would have blamed her for not wanting to take that on so soon after this tragedy. But he knew Sookie well enough to know that even in her darkest hour, she still felt a sense of duty to Allison to make this one last gesture and she should be commended for that. "She will get through this, we all will. At least I think we will."

"This is going to sound very weird of me, but with recent events, all past tendencies have gone out the window." Bill began to say, pressing his lips together while leaning his head back against the wall. "But how is Eric doing?"

"You say Sookie is not coping too well, but Eric is not coping at all. It's almost like he refuses to." Godric frowned, recalling the nights spent after Allison's death trying to coerce his child into leaving the house but Eric had stubbornly refused. "He just sits there in the bedroom and stares at the ceiling. I never thought he could be this affected and it worries me."

"I can see why. My first thought would have been that he would be in a rage and would be killing anything and anyone in sight." Bill spoke to the reaction they all thought Eric was going to have but didn't. "I mean, he always lashes out and to know that he's not doing that kind of turns everything upside down again. I never cared too much for Eric, but even I could see how much he loved Allison. And his reaction just shows how much he is destroyed by this."

"I just don't know what to do." Godric threw his hands up briefly in the air before letting them drop down into his lap. "I know it has only been a few days, but I feel so helpless. I don't care about dealing with this for myself, I only care about trying to help Eric. And I can't do that. I always know what to do and this baffles me. Where do we go from here?"

"Well, the funeral is tomorrow night so that seems like the next logical step." Bill's face clouded over in so much sadness that for the first time since Godric had known him, he appeared entirely human as they stared at each other. "Maybe it would be a good idea for Eric to go to the funeral, it might help if he got to say goodbye."

"I think he should go whether he says goodbye or not. It just feels like that is something we all need to do, especially him." Godric answered back with a somber as he stood up from the bench, preparing to leave the house to go back to Shreveport,but before he left he turned back to Bill and said. "I'm sorry this happened to us."

"Yea, I'm sorry too." Bill's face was so blank, like he did not even have the strength to look sad because it was too much effort. "I just...I don't know how we're suppose to go on without her."

"We'll figure it out someway...because we don't really have a choice in the matter."

* * *

><p><em><span>The next night<span>_

"How are you doing?" Bill's voice called to her from across the bed room where he was getting dressed while she was sitting in front of the mirror with her brush in her hands. "You've been brushing the same section of hair for the past 20 minutes..."

Sookie looked down, still seeing the clump of hair in her hand she had separated from the rest when she sat down and realized he had been right. She immediately tossed it over her shoulder and set the brush down, her hair looked fine enough as it was. And even if it hadn't, it didn't really matter. Her hair was not going to be the thing she was thinking about tonight, not when Allie's funeral was happening. Oh god, the funeral. Sookie still couldn't believe that it was actually happening tonight. That they were really going to the Bon Temps cemetery and they were going to lay her to rest. Sookie knew she was dead, she felt in her chest every hour of the day so there was no escaping it. But a funeral was so final, so ending. Once that coffin was lowered to the ground, that was it. Allie was truly going to be gone. And Sookie didn't know how she was going to go on after this night.

"It's so surreal, you know." She said out loud, turning in her chair to find Bill dressed in all black and tying on his tie. She had a moment where she found the sight of her husband's good looks a welcomed distraction from the pain in her heart. But it didn't last long. "I never thought that this night would come. I mean, I knew it had too because she really is dead. But putting her in the ground is so …."

"Final." Bill finished for her, leaving his spot by the mirror and walking across the room at the same time she got up. They met in the middle of the floor by the foot of the bed and Bill brought his hands to her face. "It is final, but death is not something to be afraid of facing. Or seeing the aftermath of. She died fighting for her life. If there was anyway she wanted to go out, it would have been knowing she at least tried."

"I know...it's just weird. I always thought that we were all being stupid from worrying that any of us might die. I figured it was just a normal way of thinking when you go into a battle like this but nothing would really happen. But it did, Allie was the one to die. And not one of us thought that was possible." Sookie replied, her breath coming out slowly as she spoke. "Maybe if we had all just stuck together then this may never have happened."

"No, you can't think like that. You can't torture yourself with the what ifs." Bill shook his head at her, his face a mask of frozen sorrow. "Even if we had stuck together, the leader of the Dallas coven would have found someway to separate us. That red head was bound and determined to get what she wanted from Allison and if she didn't get it, she was going to kill her no matter what. There was nothing any of us could do."

"But she was my cousin, I was suppose to protect her." Sookie exclaimed, feeling tears start to rim her eyes. "I protected her on the playground when we were kids. I looked out for her when we were teenagers when there were people trying to take advantage of her. And even when we were adults, I somehow managed to keep her away from Eric Northman until it wasn't possible anymore, at least until he became a better man. And now...this I couldn't protect her from this"

"None of us could protect her. We were dealing with witches had powers that far exceeded our own. We all knew the risks of going into the battle, that there was a chance any of us could die. We tried to look out for each other and be there when needed. But this was not something we could control." Bill explained, dropping his hands from her face and instantly pulled her in to his arms, bringing her head to his chest just as the tears started falling. "It's terrible what happened and what we all had to witness, but if there had been something we could do, you know any of us would have done it."

"I just miss her so much." Sookie whispered against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I keep thinking she's going to walk in the door any minute now even though we all watched her die. It was just so quick that it didn't seem real after we left the graveyard. So I kept expecting to wake up thinking it was a nightmare and that she was all right..."

"We all have that reaction Sookie and its natural." Bill soothed her, his hands stroking her back. "But there comes a time when you have to stop believing the impossible and just allow yourself to feel whatever pain you're feeling."

"I don't want to feel that pain, its too harsh." Sookie sniffed, wiping her eyes with her fingertips. "I don't want to accept that pain because when I do, then she really is gone."

"She is gone...it pains me to say this but she is dead and she's not coming back."

_Who can say where the road goes,  
>Where the day flows, only time<br>And who can say if your love grows,  
>As your hearth chose, only time<em>

* * *

><p><em><span>30 minutes later<span>_

"Eric, I have come here to attempt to get through to once and for all." Godric made his statement known the second he passed through the open doorway of the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed, dressed in all black and signifying where he was trying to drag Eric off to without even saying a word. "Eric, you need..."

"Go away Godric, I don't want to deal with you tonight." Eric growled, his voice losing the cold edge that had been present since Allison's death and he sat up against the headboard to look at his maker defiantly. "I know you are going to tell me to leave this room and I know you know that I will tell you to just fuck off."

"I'm not just here to get you out of the house for some random reason or just because I think its healthy for you. It's for something more important." Godric replied, his face not showing any agitation as he stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Eric, tonight's the funeral and..."

"Ok, just stop right there." Eric suddenly lashed out, instantly seeing red at the mere mention of the word funeral. He shot out of the bed for the first time all day and glared at his maker, furious that the older vampire had said that word to him. "I know where this is leading and you can save your words."

"All I'm saying is that the service is in an hour and I think it would be helpful for you to go." Godric pushed on, never the one to be stopped from stating his point even when Eric had ordered him not to. And hearing his maker disregard his order so blatantly, he rushed over to the nearest wall and rammed his fist right through the plaster, not caring that it made a mess all over the carpet. Godric didn't say anything as he was use to this kind of display but once Eric had removed his arm from the wall and turned to sit down again, that's when his make spoke. "You need to say goodbye to her."

"I am not saying goodbye." Eric hissed, watching the blood drip down his hand before the wound on his knuckles began to heal. "There is no point in me going to that funeral."

"You have to go to the funeral." Godric explained, his face lighting up in surprise as if he couldn't believe Eric was considering the option of not going. But there was no consideration, he had already decided not to go and notching Godric said could change his mind. "You have to find some closure. You have to begin coping..."

"Damn you Godric! Don't you get it? I don't want to cope." He found himself jumping to his feet and shouting at his maker, his body filling up with the most cruel pain he had ever experienced. "I don't want to feel better because there is no way I can possibly feel better."

"Time will change all that, I promise you it will." Godric was desperate at this point. It showed in his face and in his voice. But his maker was wrong. Time was not going to heal this pain. This pain was going to be just as strong for the rest of his life. And nothing would ever ease it. "But you will regret not going..."

"I lost the love of my life Godric. Do you understand that?" He snapped, his fingers curling into themselves as he towered over his maker while that same strong agony made it's way through out his body. "Allison is dead. And I don't want to move on and forget about her."

"Eric, it's not about forgetting her. It's never been about that." Godric shook his head as if he were speaking to a stubborn child. He walked forward, reaching out with his hand to place it on Eric's shoulder. "It's about not clinging on so tightly that you torment yourself."

"Don't go sprouting off that shit to me because it won't work." He retorted, shaking of his maker's hand and went back across the room to the bed. "She was taken from me before we had a chance to really live our lives together. And I am not about to let go of anything else connecting me to her."

"Eric..."

"No Godric, don't even suggest it again. I am not going to the funeral." He shouted, glaring at his maker with so much hatred for suggesting this that Godric physically took a step back. "I will not watch her be put into the ground."

"You're going to regret it my child." Godric told him as he began moving backwards to the door. "Someday you will regret it."

"I regret a lot of things, but this isn't one of them."

* * *

><p><em><span>1 hour later<span>_

"..We gather here to bid our last farewells to young Allison Stackhouse, an unflinchingly kind girl, whose life was brought to an end well before her time. We come to lay her at rest and pray that her spirit finds peace in the afterlife..."

Sookie barely heard a word the priest was saying as the small group gathered around the closed cherry wood coffin that now was going to be the final resting place of the girl they all had loved and lost. Se clutched tightly to Bill's arm as she lifted her eyes to look around the circle. Jason was to her immediate right, trying his absolute hardest not to fall apart into a flood of tears that he had been fighting back since he got to the graveyard. Sam was on Jason's right side, standing with his hands tucked deep into his pockets while his blue eyes showed the magnitude of his grief. Godric and Pam were standing on the opposite side of them, both wearing the same somber expression that looked so out of place on their usually expressive faces. Sookie had never seen Pam look at anyone without that trademark smirk of hers, but here she was with her hands clasped and her head bent slightly. It was a true departure from what she had come to expect but even Pam knew how to behave at a funeral. And with Godric standing there at her side, looking so devastated it lent a whole new meaning to the sadness they all felt. Godric and Allie had a special bond and seeing the 2000 year old vampire affected this badly was beyond agonizing.

She looked towards the end where Stefan and Damon Salvatore were standing with Allie's friend Elena, all three of them wearing different masks of sorrow. Although Sookie had never met Elena until an hour ago, she could tell from reading the young girl's mind that she and Allison had been close when her cousin had fled to Mystic Falls earlier this year. Elena had been openly crying and making no attempt to hide her tears from anyone. She was grieving just as they all were, and it comforted Sookie slightly to see that Allison had been loved by many. Stefan Salvatore had taken his grief in the silent manner that Godric had done, rarely speaking about it and instead put his focus on the others,making sure they were ok and not dealing with it for himself. Damon on the other hand, upon arriving at Bill's house had gone on a tirade, yelling about how Eric was suppose to have kept her alive like he promised and it was only when Godric yelled at him did he go silent and hadn't spoken a word since. But his face and eyes still reflected the fury within.

And speaking of Eric, he was the only who loved Allie who wasn't here at the funeral. Godric had shown up at the house with a somber expression, announcing that Eric had flat out at refused to come to the service, explaining that his child was too deep in his despair to realize how important it was to say goodbye. Sookie had been deeply offended by this, knowing that Allie would have wanted Eric there, but then she felt bad for being angry at the former viking. Eric wasn't use to dealing with any kind of emotions even before Allie's death. And now he was dealing with a sadness that he had never factored into encountering. So in a way she could understand why he wasn't here. They never thought she would die and now that she had, forcing yourself to go through the motions of seeing her being put into the ground was probably too much for Eric. So she didn't say anything more on the subject.

"Allison Stackhouse was a generous and youthful soul, always there with a smile and a kind word even to those who never had a kind thing to say about her...she never lost faith in the goodness of people and we can only hope that if she is looking down on us now, that she still feels the same way..."

Sookie just didn't understand how this could be happening. Why was God taking away everyone she loved? What was the point in all this? What had any in her family had done that was so horrible that it warranted their death sentence? It just wasn't fair. Her parents, her aunt and uncle, her grandmother and now Allison. Just one tragedy after another. It was never ending. And it didn't make sense. Allison had been so young, so full of life and enthusiasm about her future. And it was all cut down way before it was suppose to be. She hadn't even had a chance to live and now she was dead, gone out of their forever and nothing would ever be the same again.

"..May God take care of this fallen spirit and guide her to rest..." The priest said, closing the bible and tucked it under his arm before lifting his face to look at them all, his own eyes glisten with un-shed tears as he made the motion across the air. "Ashes to ashes...dust to dust."

"Good bye Allie." The all made the exact same statement at the same time and hearing all those voices chime in together was the very thing that started off the chain reaction of tears. They were all in the same pool of grief together and that should have made some kind of breakthrough in their pain but it didn't. All it did was remind them of how many people had lost this girl that was now being lowered into the ground below them. And the sight was going to haunt them all for the rest of their lives.

* * *

><p><em><span>Later that night<span>_

"I miss you my beautiful little Faerie, I miss you so much that it numbs me at times." Eric whispered to the mound of dirt he had found himself kneeling at in that empty graveyard, not caring that the dirt was getting on his clothes. He only cared about having this moment alone to say goodbye to the woman he had loved.

He had lied to Godric when he said he wasn't going to come here tonight, he had known that since he had woken up this evening, he had every intention of coming to see her final resting area, but he did not want to do it around the others. He did not want to be there at the moment when she was lowered to the ground and her wooden home was now covered with 6 feet of dark dirt. He did not want to be around Sookie or Godric or Pam when he came to see his beloved. It was too much to be surrounded by others when he was trying to make his farewell to her. So he had waited until he was certain that the funeral had been over for a while, that they had all gone home and that the grave had been covered completely with dirt and the cemetery had been emptied. In fact, by the time he got there, the lights that lit the path through the graveyard had been turned off, but with him being a vampire he could see as clearly as if they had been still on. He followed Sookie's scent until it became overwhelming at this plot he was at now. This was were his Allison was buried, laying lifeless 6 feet below him. It brought him down to his knees and that's how he had been for the last hour.

"I'm sorry I didn't protect you." He said quietly, running his hand over the surface of the dirt as if he were somehow touching her and shook his head, feeling the agony starting to creep up his back. "I'm sorry I let them hurt you. It's my fault you died. I should have kept you away from the battle. Then you would still be here with me."

That was the worse part of it for him. Knowing that if he had just followed his original idea of keeping her away until it was all over then she would have lived. He could have locked her away, tied her up or had sent her somewhere where she wouldn't be anywhere near this fight. But he hadn't, he allowed her to make him think it was all going to turn out alright. He had even thought that he would be the one to die, that would have been better then this. She was strong, she would have gotten over him in time. But he wasn't that strong and he knew he wasn't going to move on ever. He couldn't possibly move on. She was in every part of him. His mind, his body, his house and even in the place where his stilled heart lay. She was everywhere and he would never escape her. He would forever reminded of the things he could have had with her and now would never get the chance to do.

He would never be given the chance to propose to her like he had planned to do right after they walked out of battle. He had promised himself that when they both made it out alive, the first second he had her alone he would have gotten down on one knee and asked her and she would have said yes just like she promised she would. They could have been engaged right now, laying together in bed and thinking about what their wedding would be like. He would have been telling her how she was the only woman he had ever been with in the past 1000 years that ever made him want to take a wife. She would have laughed and moved closer into his arms and told him how much she loved the man he had become. He would have teased her and then their lips would have met for the first of many of thousands of kisses they would share in their long lives together.

But that would never happen. She was gone forever, killed before her time in a senseless battle that never should have happened in the first place.

All because of that damn redheaded witch named Anna.

He saw red at the moment as the memory of seeing that witch leader materialize behind Allison before stabbing her in the back played before his eyes. It happened so quickly and not even that far away that it drove him wild over the fact that he couldn't rush over and tear that bitch apart for hurting someone so innocent and precious. Anna hadn't cared about who she would have to go through to get what she wanted. That whole coven had made it clear that they would push the limits with their attacks over the past few months in order to capture Allison. And just like the others, Eric had been unwilling to let them get anywhere near close to letting that happen. So they had gone into battle, determined to kill them all so they could never hurt anyone ever again. But the remaining witches had escaped thanks to Anna and now they were out there in the world, not being paid back for what they had done.

"Yea, well that will not stay that way for long." He growled, looking down at the burial plot as he remembered the promise he had made to Allison just days before her death. That not only would he continue to go on with his life, but that he would also go after any of the witches should they have any part in her death. And although it would take him a while to work up to the mission of hunting them down, he knew he would eventually do it. Because he had ever intention of keeping this last promise to her. He touched the dirt one more time before standing up and tucking his hands into his leather jacket pockets. "Do not worry my love, I will stick to the promise I made to you. I will avenge your death."

_Who can say why your heart sighs  
>As your love flies, only time<br>And who can say why your heart cries  
>when your love lies, only time<em>

* * *

><p><em><span>The end of the night<span>_

"It wasn't suppose to be like this." The older witch named Molly said as she crossed the dark grass of the Bon Temps Cemetery and made her way towards the new grave she had been eying since the funeral began earlier that evening. She had been waiting in the shadows for it to be over and it was only after the tall, blonde vampire had left just moments ago that she had been able to finally make her way over to the grave site to have a few minutes alone. And every steps she took to that mound of dirt, the heavier her heart became as she thought of the circumstances that had led her here to this night. She paused at the edge of the plot and looked down at the spot where the remains of that poor girl lied and she shook her head. "She wasn't suppose to die."

And yet she had. Allison Stackhouse had lost her life so young and so before her time that the injustice of it was suffocating to anyone who knew her. Many would be surprised that Molly was feeling this way. Most people would say that was the risk of going into open war with witches, that there was a greater odd of dying rather then living. But Molly had been certain that Allison would have made it through and lived the rest of her very long life. She deserved to have that time, the time to really see the world for what it was worth and to be loved by a man who would never turn his back on her. She was suppose to laugh and smile for years longer then this, to have many more memories that would overshadow that heartbreak she had happened to her at such a young age. Allison was suppose to have all that life had to offer, to experience everything before it was time for her to pass on. But she hadn't had that chance.

That chance had been cut down in a single moment by that red headed bitch Anna. That woman had taken the life of a very special girl and ruined countless amounts of other lives in the process. Allison's life had been intertwined with so many others and her death was leaving a hole in the life of her loved ones. It was so incredibly sad to see that so many people could be broken by one girl's life. And that never would have happened if Anna hadn't been driven mad by her thirst for Allison's power. Molly herself had tried to do what she could to change things from the inside of the coven by playing along like she was one of them. She had tried planting seeds of doubt amongst the others, hoping that at least some of the other witches would turn against Anna but nothing had worked and it was too dangerous at the time to step out and be the lone witch to announce that she was not going with the coven's direction. Hence why she had not been part of the war. If Anna knew what was really going on, then she would have made things worse.

And the only thing worse then death was having your soul lost for all eternity. So even though death was horrible, it was not as horrible as having your soul wander alone through the world, being forced to watch all your loved ones go on and know you could not be with them. And that was exactly what Anna had intended to do when she asked Molly to curse the very dagger that had killed Allison. If Anna could not get what she wanted, then she wanted to make sure Allison suffered long after her death by not letting her soul be at rest. And Molly couldn't bear to let that happen. So while Anna thought Molly had performed the curse, in actuality she hadn't done that at all. She just made it seem like she had.

But what she really did was cast another spell on the dagger. A spell that would keep Allison's soul so intact that it would allow her to do what she came here to do tonight. Something that had to be done in the darkest part of the night where no one was around to witness it.

"I won't let Anna get away with this. I will not let her destroy people's lives like this." Molly said to herself, stepping to the side of the grave and knelt down by the mound of dirt while she reached into the pocket of her black hooded jacket and removed the vial of blood she had stored there. She held it in her hand, watching the dark red liquid swirl around inside.

This blood was going to be the very thing that changed the course of the future and more importantly, the fate of everyone's lives. And it wasn't just any blood, it was Molly's blood. Blood that was powerful enough to work its magic in the way it was intended to do. And although it may take a while, this vial of blood was going to save what could not be saved in the battle that night.

"Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to change the course of the future." Molly stated out loud, digging a small hole in the pile of dirt before she unscrewed the top of the vial and turned it upside down. The blood poured out instantly, landing in the hole she had dug and sank into the earth, being soaked up by the dirt and ground on it's descent down to the coffin. Once the glass was empty, she tucked it back in her pocket and covered the hole with more dirt, patting the flat area with her hand and got to her feet again. She looked down at the grave and as sad as the situation was, she found herself smiling as she backed away but not before sending one last statement at the burial lot.

"It's done...and now she will awaken soon and come back to the world she left behind."

**The end...or is it?**

**A/N: Yea, i totally was mean with that ending. I knew you would all be pissed with me for killing her off in the last chapter. But what you didn't know was that this was all part of the plan. I knew all along how this fic was going to end and obviously it looks like she is going to be resurrected. And that comes with a whole new set of drama. As you know, Molly was the one working against the Dallas coven and now she is the one trying to bring Allison back to life. Oh man can you imagine what that reaction is going to be.**

**Thanks for sticking with me through this series so far. I hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as i loved writting it. it was so much fun and I hope you stay around for the 4th installment that is titled "Second Chance" after the Shinedown song. It will be a great ride, i promise oyu that**

**Thanks again! And look out for the sequel coming soon**


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